The Idol and the Prince
by Hitokun
Summary: Shirogane Naoto, the cool sought after Detective Prince of Inaba. His fame rivals the super popular Kujikawa Rise. Will these two be friends? Enemies? Or something more? Yuri: Rise x Naoto
1. Chapter 1

**The Idol and the Prince**

* * *

**Part I**

* * *

07/23

* * *

"Shirogane…Naoto, huh?" Rise stared at the boy who stood at the front of the classroom. He was cool, composed and had great silky blue hair. Before now, she had never paid attention to the so called "Detective Prince". Their prior encounters were far too rushed, but now that she looked more closely, Naoto-kun was pretty short…

"Shirogane-kun, your seat will be next to Kujikawa over here."

Rise snapped out of her daze, sitting bolt upright as Naoto made his way down the aisles, taking a seat right beside her.

He stared at her coldly for a minute, before he sighed and stretched out a hand. "It's…nice to meet you, Kujikawa-san. I hope we get along this year."

The redhead blushed as she took the boy's hand. "S-same here…"

Whispers and snickers erupted around the classroom as the students witnessed this exchange. Surely, rumors of the Detective Prince and Risette were sure to be floating around next day.

"Now, now. Settle down, class. Since all the excitement is over, let's get back to math. I'm sure you all love triangles, right?" The teacher turned back to the board, getting on with his lesson.

A collective groan echoed through the classroom and all those prying eyes turned to the front. Rise let out a small sigh of relief, but her heart was still pounding in her chest. She could still feel Naoto's touch, warm on her hand. Naoto's skin was so soft…his hand so small, uncharacteristic of a guy.

The redhead glanced at the blunette again, catching a glimpse of his perfectly chiseled face, his serious expression. Rise coughed into her hand to hide her chuckle. Despite how cold Naoto might seem, he was pretty cute.

She just hoped that she wouldn't fall in love with Naoto-kun, because Souji-sempai was the only man for her. She snickered at the thought. If only she could get the stoic Souji to let her have a little alone time with him.

Rise spent the remainder of class doodling in the margins of her notebook, Seta Souji's name scrawled conspicuously all over her masterpieces. Unbeknownst to the idol, Naoto was analyzing her every move, labeling her 'childish' from the get go.

Being childish was one thing Naoto hated about people.

* * *

The lunch bell rang and a flock of students gathered around Naoto's desk, questions flying every which way. Rise winced as she pushed her way out of the crowd. Standing well away from the mob, the redhead crossed her arms, pouting slightly. Sure, she wanted to get out of the spotlight, but this kind of treatment wasn't right. "Mou…some Detective Prince is going to come and steal my fame…"

"My apologies about that, Kujikawa-san, but it's not like I asked for this type of popularity."

"Ah!" Rise turned, coming face to face with Naoto. She glanced at the mob, still fighting over the empty seat. "S-since when did you?" She blushed, embarrassed that he had heard her mumblings.

"Never mind that, but I have some important matters to attend to, so if you'll excuse me." He sauntered off, adjusting his hat.

Again, Rise sighed, annoyed at herself for being so inarticulate, so stupid. Without another thought, she shoved her embarrassment to the side, grabbing her bento as she made her way to the roof. She needed some alone time to think for herself.

She made her way up the double flights of stairs, her curls bouncing along with her every step. Opening the door, she could feel the warm air on her face, caressing the nape of her neck. "Ahh…what nice weather today…"

"Kujikawa-san?"

Rise paled. It was that voice again, that sweet tenor voice. "Eh…N-Naoto-kun?" Naoto was leaning against the railing, a hand held the hat on his head, the winds picking up. The way he stood was tensed, guarded almost.

He sighed deeply. "Are you…following me, Kujikawa-san?" Annoyance shone in his bright blue eyes, an air of weariness about him.

"Of course not! I was just coming up here to eat lunch like I always do." Rise huffed, appalled that Naoto would accuse her of following him. "I'm not one of those rabid fans, you know. I understand how it feels to be stalked incessantly…" She pouted slightly. Despite her outward behaviour, inside, her heart hammered in her chest. She couldn't believe she was talking to him.

"Ah, my apologies again, Kujikawa-san." He smiled wryly, turning back to the scenery below, leaning over the railing.

Rise blushed. She had caught a glimpse of that handsome smile and she swooned, her knees losing their strength. How could she have ever accused him of taking his detective work as a game? She could feel the kindness in that fleeting smile. She knew he was a good person. "N-Naoto-kun, I should be the one apologizing."

Naoto was truly shocked as he turned towards Rise, surprise written on his face. "What are you saying Kuji-"

"Rise. Just call me Rise." The redhead smiled back, sending Naoto reeling with shock.

A small tinge of pink colored Naoto's cheeks. "Then, Rise-san. What are you apologizing for?"

"I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for demeaning your work without knowing your intentions at all. I know that it's not a game to you." Rise peered into those sapphire orbs, wanting her words to get through.

Naoto jerked his head to the side, Rise's gaze piercing him through and through. "It's nothing. It was I who provoked you in the first place. I should take the blame."

"No!" Rise closed the distance between them in two quick strides. She boldly clasped Naoto's hands in hers, forcing the boy to look at her. "I'm trying to say that I'm sorry. That we got off on the wrong foot. Just accept my apology, please?" Rise pouted, looking helpless as she glanced up into that boyish face.

"Err…Kujikawa-sa-" Rise fixed Naoto with a glare. "I mean, Rise-san…I accept your apology, so will you let go of me now?" Naoto's face was stained a bright red, the famous Kujikawa Rise was pressed up right against the poor boy.

"Oh!" Rise jumped back, mentally reprimanding herself for being so forward. However, she couldn't help herself. Whenever Naoto was around, her thoughts were all backwards. "Sorry about that!"

Then, an awkward silence descended upon them, the wind whistling softly.

"Say, Naoto, would you like to have lunch with me?" Rise smiled warmly, that pop idol charm coming back to her. She seemed to sparkle as she said this, her confidence soaring.

"I don't have a lunch though…" Naoto looked a bit embarrassed at this, avoiding Rise's gaze.

Without another word, Rise took hold of Naoto's hand, leading him over to sit down. "It's okay. Just share with me! My grandmother packed too much for me to eat anyway."

The redhead spread out her bento on the ledge, offering Naoto a fork as she took up her chopsticks. "Here, eat up!"

He hesitated for a minute, his eyes scanned over the delicious looking lunchbox. "You're…a nice person, Rise-san." Naoto looked down at his feet, fidgeting with the hem of his blazer.

"Aw, come on, don't be shy! How about we be friends from now on?" Rise wavered a bit at the end, the blood pounding loudly in her ears. She was so close. Just a little more… If they started out as friends, who knows what they could end up as?

"So, what do you say, Naoto-kun?"

Naoto blushed, the gears in his mind turning furiously. "I…"

"Yes, Naoto-kun?" Rise could barely hold in her excitement.

"I have to go." Naoto abruptly rose, placing the fork back down on Rise's beautiful spread. "I'm sorry, Kujikawa-san, but I have some important matters to attend to." With that, Naoto strode off, disappearing into the school.

Rise sat there, shocked, her bottom lip quivering slightly. "Ah, mou…maybe I came on too strong…"

* * *

Descending the stairs to the school, Naoto pinched the bridge of his nose, thoughts swirling wildly in his mind. "Friends…what a useless thing. I have to concentrate on the case. I don't need distractions at a time like this…" Still mumbling to himself, Naoto stormed down the stairs.

For some reason, he just couldn't get that annoying Kujikawa Rise out of his head.

* * *

**A/N:** I've taken a shining to P4's Rise x Naoto. Naoto's just so adorable for a reverse trap. :D This is my first P4 piece, so please be lenient.

Encouragement, criticism/other are welcome!

Hope you enjoyed it and please review!


	2. Chapter 2

**The Idol and the Prince**

* * *

**Part II**

* * *

07/25

* * *

Rise hummed as she skipped to school. She just couldn't wait to see Naoto-kun again. The last time she saw the Detective Prince was before the weekend and she wasn't going to stop until she pestered Naoto into being her friend. After all, who could resist the charms of an ex-idol? If Naoto-kun was like any other adolescent boy in their school, Rise would have him wrapped around her finger in no time.

"Ara, Rise-chan!"

Rise stopped as she spotted Yukiko and Chie coming down the road.

"Good morning, sempai!" Rise smiled widely, her good mood was all too contagious.

"How can you be so cheerful?? Exams were just this week…" Chie groaned, her head hanging as she dragged her feet across the asphalt.

"Chie sempai seems pretty down about the exams…did something happen?" Rise asked innocently, her curiosity getting the best of her.

"Well, on the day before the last exam…I had Chie over so I could help her study, but we kinda got sidetracked and Chie ended up spending the night." Yukiko turned her head to the side, a faint blush coloring her cheeks. She pressed her lips together tightly, resisting the urge to crack a wide smile. "Chie was screaming my name so loudly…" Yukiko sighed dreamily.

"Yukiko!" Chie sprang up from her depression, her face was beet red. "How many times do I have to tell you not to say it like that?! It sounds so dirty….." Chie cried, clutching at Yukiko's sweater.

Rise giggled, amusement lighting her honey gold eyes. "You don't have to worry, sempai! Your secret's safe with me!" The redhead winked, putting a finger to her dainty lips.

"Ah, mou! Rise-chan, don't tell me you actually believe what Yukiko's insinuating?!" Chie towered over Rise, her face aflame, her short brown hair dishevelled beyond belief. "Video games! We were playing video games all night. It was that new Grand Theft Auto game and Yukiko was really bad at it, so I was yelling at her!"

Chie's eyes were wide with fear, her breathing heavy as she tried to convince Rise that she and Yukiko were only _just_ friends.

"You know, Chie sempai? I wouldn't really have believed Yukiko sempai if you hadn't made such a big deal out of it." Rise giggled sheepishly. Now, she _really_ wondered what kind of relationship those two had.

Chie suddenly became very quiet, her face stoic, uncharacteristic of the happy-go-lucky Satonaka Chie. "Oh…well really, w-we didn't do anything, you know?" The brunette pouted. Her cheeks were still warm with embarrassment.

Then, there was silence as the three girls stood there in the middle of the road. Silent Chie, confused Rise and…

All of a sudden, laughter erupted.

"Ha…hahahahaha! C-Chie…Y-you're so funny! Hahaha!" Yukiko was doubled over with laughter, laughing so hard that tears rolled down her cheeks. "Hahahaha! Chie!" Yukiko pointed at Chie, her other hand clutched her stomach. Her crazy laughter made heads turn their way.

It was another one of Amagi Yukiko's ridiculous laughing fits.

Chie sighed, wondering if Yukiko had really gone off her rocker this time. "C'mon, Yukiko…We'll be late for school if you keep this up." Wrapping an arm around the still laughing girl, Chie pulled her along, feeling a migraine coming.

"I envy you two...such close friends… I wish I had someone like that!" Rise giggled as she saw Chie's face go red again.

"I-It's a misunderstanding! I was only over there for so long because I was tired and too lazy to walk home! Yukiko had nothing to do with it!" Chie pouted, her eyes shone with desperation.

Rise laughed at Chie's antics. She always seemed to be so boyish, but she did have her cute moments too. As Chie continued to babble on and as Yukiko continued to laugh, they made their way to school.

Today really promised to be an entertaining day.

* * *

However, when Rise arrived at school, she was disappointed to find that Naoto was nowhere to be found. Class had already started and the blue haired detective was not in the seat next to hers. It just wasn't like Naoto's serious character to be late either. This deduction just made the redhead's spirits fall even further.

For the entire day, Rise was lacklustre, her smile missing its usual charm. She wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she really wanted to talk to Naoto. There were only a couple days until summer vacation and Rise doubted that she would run into Naoto then.

Laying her head on her desk, she glanced out the window, frowning as the rain clouds gathered ominously in the sky. The way they darkened her day was just so annoying. She just wanted to go home and sleep…

* * *

The bell rang, signalling the end of the day and Rise lethargically packed up her belongings, trudging across the room.

"Oii!"

Rise turned at the voice. It was Kanji, complete with his gangster mannerisms.

"Kanji-kun." She smiled. He always seemed to crack her up.

"Did you see the exam scores posted up? Souji-sempai was at the top of his grade!" Kanji seemed excited, his pearly whites bore a gigantic smile.

"Really? It certainly is expected of sempai though!" Rise beamed, happy to know that her beloved sempai was at the top of his class as always. She hadn't had the time to check the scores all day, since she was too busy sulking for no reason. It just wasn't everyday that a boy turned down the opportunity to be Risette's friend. She hoped to have the chance to convince him again today, but Naoto just had to be absent.

Soon after, Rise said her goodbyes to Kanji and made her way home.

However, after she pulled her shoes on, she froze, standing at the door in the school lobby. She watched as the torrent of water poured from the heavens, her mouth shaped in a perfectly round 'O'. It was raining. And she didn't bring an umbrella. Oh, the luck that she could have.

First, Naoto had to go and reject her last day, and not show up for class today. Then, the stupid clouds had to go and make the sky all dark, and her tofu today wasn't salty enough either! To top it all off, she'd have to go home in the rain, without an umbrella!

Rise felt like crying. These were the days when she missed having a limousine pick her up from school.

Standing behind the door, she stared out into the gloomy sky, the patter of water drumming on the roof. Taking a deep breath, she put her schoolbag over her head and took off running.

The water splashed all around her. Her face, her hair, her clothes were all soaked. Despite that, she kept running, her long legs already aching by now. After all, idols weren't meant for physical activity…

"Why did today have to be such a bad day? Naoto! It's all your fault!" Rise screamed into the heavens as she continued to run, the taste of rainwater filling her mouth.

Suddenly, she ran head first into something, or rather, somebody.

It was somebody slender and warm and soft...? Her skin was frozen from being soaked in the rain and she leaned into the warmth.

"K-Kujikawa-san…?"

Rise immediately sprung off, her heartbeat skyrocketed as that smooth voice entranced her ears. "Naoto-kun! I'm so glad to see you…" She glanced up. "To see that you have an umbrella!" She chuckled sheepishly, inching further away from Naoto.

Looking closely, Rise noticed the dark circles, the fatigue that seemed to emanate from the young man. Her eyes travelled downwards and she gasped as she saw the big water stain she left on Naoto's slimming blue dress shirt. Even his yellow tie was soaked.

"Do you usually assault strangers like that, Kujikawa-san?" Naoto's tone of voice dripped with annoyance, frustration shone in his blue eyes. Sleep deprivation really did make Naoto look scary, but like always, the boy held his mature charm.

"I'm…um sorry about your clothes." Rise smiled apologetically.

"It's fine. What's more important is that _you're_ soaked from head to toe. You're going to catch your death of cold." Naoto looked annoyed again, but this time, his tone was different, it was softer. Was he…concerned?

Rise chuckled devilishly. "Could it be that Naoto-kun's worried about Rise?"

"A-Anyhow. Here, just take my umbrella." Naoto thrust the umbrella into Rise's hands, an indignant blush spreading across his cheeks. He avoided Rise's gaze, glaring at the dark skies.

The girl fumbled for a moment. "W-wait, Naoto-kun. Let's share the umbrella!" Rise slipped her arm around Naoto's as she pulled him down the street. "After all, I'd feel so bad if you got sick because of me."

Naoto tensed as he felt the idol press up against him, her body flush against his. It was too close for comfort. If she came any closer, she would know…

"F-fine…but please, could you let go of my arm? I can feel the water seeping through my sleeve." The young detective's eye twitched and Rise let go instantly.

"Sorry, Naoto-kun. I'm just so cold…and you're so warm! I just wanted to share some of your body heat." Rise giggled like a love struck schoolgirl, which Naoto was convinced that she was.

"Naoto-kun…" Rise put on her sweetest voice. It was soft and sultry.

"Yes, Kujikawa-san?" Naoto looked straight ahead, his eyes trained on the road, and not at the dishevelled beauty next to him.

"Won't you be my friend? I'm always so lonely at lunch times." Rise pouted, her eyes brimming with tears.

"Kujikawa-san, you can't expect me to believe that. You're an idol, the most popular girl in school. I'm sure you could be friends with whoever you wanted." His tone came out a bit harsh, bitter even. Naoto spared not even a glance at Rise as he continued to walk.

"You're so cold, Naoto-kun…" Rise cast her eyes downwards, biting her lip. She stayed silent for a while. Fortunately, that caught Naoto's attention.

"I-I didn't mean it like that. It's because you're so popular. It's hard to believe that you're lonely." Naoto fidgeted, hoping that Rise wouldn't start crying, because Naoto didn't know how to deal with crying girls.

"Hehe…Naoto-kun's popular too." Rise smiled, but her tone suddenly became serious. "But the kind of loneliness I'm talking about is the type you get when people don't know the real you. To everyone, I'm Risette, but no one knows the real Rise. All they want is the idol part of me and not the real me." The redhead was talking sincerely now, a tinge of sadness in her voice.

Naoto was dumbstruck for a moment and he could feel the emotion in Rise's voice. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to share his own feelings just this once.

"I…can understand how you feel. When you can't show people who you really are, because that's not what they want or what they expect..." Naoto trailed off, talking more to himself at this point. "It's hard to keep up a façade sometimes, but I really hate who I am inside..."

"Naoto-kun…"

The atmosphere grew heavy and they walked the rest of the way in silence.

As they reached the Marukyu Tofu Shop, Naoto stopped outside.

"Naoto-kun, are you sure you don't want to come in to take a bath while your clothes dry?" Rise asked, standing in the doorway. She laid off on the innuendo this time, honestly worried about Naoto's health.

"No, thank you. I'll be fine." Naoto smiled at this, seemingly genuine for once.

"How about a cup of tea, then?" Rise smiled widely. "It'll warm you up in no time."

"Kujikawa-san, you really are a nice person." With that, Naoto turned to leave.

"Ah, wait, Naoto-kun. Will you be at school tomorrow?" A sense of desperation filled Rise, but she kept it under wraps as she asked nonchalantly.

"Yes I will, Kujikawa-san." Naoto called back as he continued down the road. Rise stood, staring at the sight of his retreating back.

"I told you, it's Rise, not Kujikawa-san!" Rise yelled out to Naoto, but he kept walking. At this point, she wasn't sure if he was ignoring her or not.

Naoto turned, a smirk on his face as he slipped a hand in his pocket. "Right, I'm sorry. Then, I'll see you tomorrow…Rise-san."

Rise waved enthusiastically, a swell of happiness overcoming her. She slumped against the doorframe, a hand clutched to her chest as she felt the insane throbbing of her heart. What was this feeling? It was different that what she felt with sempai.

She wondered if this was what it felt like to fall in love.

* * *

**A/N:** Typed in a mad rush this time. Btw, the numbers at the top of the chapter signify the date. It relates to the game and I base the weather and some events on the calendar as well. This way, you can kinda anticipate what'll happen later on. It's not 100% according to the book, but its basis is there.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter too! Pleae review with encouragement/suggestions!

I appreciate your support!

* * *


	3. Chapter 3

**The Idol and the Prince

* * *

**

Part III

* * *

07/26

* * *

Naoto pulled at his collar as he walked through the corridors of Yasogami High. The temperature had spiked today and the cheap school barely had the AC turned up… He was planning to skip his classes again today, but he did make a promise. She was the key to getting a break in his case. If he was going to get on Kujikawa Rise's good side, he had to keep her happy. That's why he was committed to being in this overheated oven all day.

Frowning, Naoto entered the empty classroom, sitting down at his seat. He pulled out a book, flipping open to a page as he stared blankly at the words. There was just something wrong with the way the evidence didn't add up, something still bothering him.

It was Rise and her friends.

He knew they were hiding something from him. The records checked out with his suspicions. All the murder victims went missing for a couple weeks before their bodies finally surfaced. Amagi Yukiko… She went missing for a week in April. Then, Tatsumi Kanji in May and finally, Kujikawa Rise disappeared just last month.

Naoto wracked his brain, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together. Could it be that one of them was the killer? Or maybe it was all of them, conspiring together to play their sick game.

He shook his head abruptly, taking his hat off as he ran a hand through his blue hair. "No…I can't jump to conclusions like that…"

If only he could sever the connection between the murders and Rise's group… After all, an ex pop idol just didn't fit into the profile of a serial killer…especially one as naïve as "Risette" was. Naoto sighed, wondering if his deductions were starting to get a bit biased.

But there was no way Rise could be the killer, right?

"_Bzzzt"_

Naoto was suddenly jolted out of his thoughts as he felt a gentle vibration in his pocket. Quickly, he fished out the cell phone and flipped it open. For a minute, he just stared, a chill overcoming him. "How on earth…"

It was a text message from Rise that read:

_Sry, Naoto-kun! I'm sick today. _

_Could you tell sensei for me?_

_~Rise 3_

The detective's eye twitched. The whole reason in him coming today was lost. However, something else bothered him more than a wasted day. Naoto was more disturbed about the fact that Rise had found his private _unlisted_ number. Was she stalking him…?

* * *

"Katsuragi-kun." The teacher yawned as he continued the roll call.

"Hai!"

"Kujikawa-san."

There was no reply, only an empty seat.

"Oh, is she absent today?" He marked a note in his book as he continued.

Meanwhile, Naoto fidgeted in his seat, fanning himself with his notebook. He cursed softly under his breath. "That traitor…"

"Shirogane."

"Hai."

Naoto sighed again, wondering why he came to school in the first place. He could have been at home right now, sipping an ice tea in his study. He closed his eyes and could almost imagine the cool liquid quenching his thirst.

"So does anyone know where Kujikawa is?"

The Detective Prince opened his eyes, clearing his throat. "Kujikawa-san is sick today. She was caught in the rainstorm yesterday."

Whispers erupted and Naoto could even catch a couple girlish screams.

"Oh, is that so, Shirogane-kun? Well, could you drop by her house and give her the homework for today? We'll be starting a new unit and I'm afraid you'll need it to complete your summer assignments." The class let out a groan, the teacher still smiling widely.

"It's no problem." Again, girls swooned at Naoto's response.

"Thank you, Shirogane. Well then, let's get started, shall we?" The teacher turned towards the blackboard, chalk in hand.

Naoto smiled to himself. He was sure that Rise would appreciate him going all the way to her house just to drop off her homework. Maybe, he could ask her a couple of questions while he was there too.

* * *

Standing in front of Marukyu Tofu after school, Naoto took a deep breath and entered the store. "Sumimasen!" He called out, the front of the shop empty. He wondered how these people could be so trusting as to leave their doors wide open.

Soon enough, Naoto could hear hurried footsteps as an old lady appeared at the stairway. "Oh, hello there. What can I help you with today?"

"My name is Shirogane Naoto, a classmate of your granddaughter's. I was just dropping by to see if she was feeling better." Naoto put on his best polite smile, his boyish charm in full gear.

"Oh my. Rise-chan has such nice school friends. Well, she's feeling much better now. Just make your way upstairs. It's the third door on your left." The elderly lady smiled warmly at Naoto.

"Thank you." Naoto turned towards the stairs, contemplating for a minute about what the woman called him. A friend? He shook his head. What an absurd idea.

Slowly, he made his way up the creaky steps, stopping in the upstairs hallway. It was small and homely, not what he expected from an idol's house. Stopping in front of the third door, he paused, his hand poised to knock. However, as the seconds passed, he stayed rooted to that same position. For some reason, he was nervous beyond belief. He had never visited a 'friend' before. Swallowing his anxiety, he rapped on the door thrice, waiting impatiently for a reply.

"Yes…?" It was Rise alright, but her voice sounded tired.

"I-it's Naoto." He called out and waited for an answer. Suddenly, he heard a thud and the rustling of sheets. "Rise-san, are you alright in there?"

"I-I'm fine, Naoto-kun. J-just give me a minute!"

Naoto leaned against the wall, listening to Rise scurry about in her room.

Then, there was silence and the door opened. Rise stood in the doorway in a pair of short shorts and a thin tank top. "H-haha…Naoto-kun. It's nice to see you."

Naoto blushed faintly, his head filled with unease. Rise's hair was disheveled and not in its usual twintails, left to cascade down her back. In a way, Naoto thought she looked a lot cuter. "A-are you…feeling better now?"

Rise nodded, her smile lighting up her eyes, "Mh hmm. I'm feeling lots better. Especially since Naoto-kun's here to visit me." Her tone dropped an octave at the end, her voice taking on a more mature manner.

"A-anyway…" Naoto cleared his throat. "Since tomorrow's the first day of summer vacation, Taniguchi-sensei wanted me to give you your homework." He rummaged through his bag, pulling out a stack of papers.

Rise's expression paled at this. She took the stack reluctantly, flipping through the pages. "Ahh…I don't get this stuff at all." She pouted, her brows furrowing in frustration.

"If you want, I could help you with it over the summer."

Rise gaped at Naoto's words, but soon, her lips curved up into a wide grin. "Really, Naoto-kun? I'd be so happy if you could do that!"

Naoto had on a casual smile, his prior apprehension gone. "Then, how about we start tomorrow?"

"That'd be-wait…" Rise thought for a second, wincing as she remembered something. She was supposed to meet up with sempai and them tomorrow to follow up on the clues from the Midnight Channel.

"Actually…tomorrow's not good for me. I already made plans with Souji-sempai and the others. Sorry, Naoto-kun." Rise frowned, angry that such an opportunity had to go to waste.

Naoto's eyes narrowed slightly as he listened. "That's fine, Rise-san. Let's just arrange another date."

"You're a lifesaver, Naoto-kun!" Rise bubbled over with excitement. "Say, Naoto-kun, would you like to come in? Have a cup of tea or something?"

The detective mulled over it for a minute. There really wasn't much for him to do today, so… "Sure." He didn't know why, but he found a smile creeping onto his face.

Rise grabbed Naoto's hand, leading him into her room. Hurriedly, she shut the door after them. Naoto went wide eyed at this, hoping that he didn't walk willingly into a trap just now. "Uh…Rise-san…Are you sure this is such a good idea? I mean, your grandmother-"

"It's fine, Naoto-kun. She doesn't mind me having _friends_ over." She smiled innocently, giggling to herself.

Naoto chuckled nervously, glancing around. The walls were painted a calm pink, photos and posters hanging everywhere. Her bedspread was pink yet again and stuffed animals lay on top of the mattress. Everything about Rise's room just screamed 'cute'. Naoto wasn't surprised in the least, since Rise seemed like that kind of girl.

"So, Rise-san, how does it feel to be out of the idol business?" Naoto stood in the middle of the room, glancing around curiously as he struck up idle chitchat.

Seating herself on her bed, Rise swung her legs absentmindedly. "Weeell…It's really very relaxing without all that stress." He hummed to herself. "Since we're on the topic of employment, how about you, Naoto-kun? How did you get into detective work anyway?"

Naoto had a reminiscent smile on his face. "The Shirogane family has a history of famous detectives. I guess it's the blood that flows through me. It's a calling really."

"Wow, that's impressive. Much more meaningful than being some fake idol." Rise smiled sadly, falling back onto her mattress. "Ne, Naoto-kun, do you ever feel like you're hiding something from others?"

Naoto's breath hitched at this, tensing at the question.

"Well, I do. I want to tell someone so badly, but I'm afraid that if I do, people won't look at me the same way again." Rise sighed, trailing off.

Naoto's eyes were wide with shock. It was impossible. How could this girl hit so close to home?

She sat up suddenly, an apologetic look on her face. "Sorry, Naoto-kun. I'm just rambling on about stupid things. You must be so bored."

Naoto felt an indescribable feeling well up within him. "Rise-san…why are you telling me these things? You barely know me." He had no intention of being friends. To him, Rise was a source of information. Was this so wrong? Was this feeling…guilt?

"You seem trustworthy, Naoto-kun."

Naoto laughed weakly. "Do I?" He looked at Rise, amusement flickering in his clear blue eyes. "You're really funny, Rise-san."

_Naïve._

"Mou, Naoto-kun. What do you mean by that!" Rise pouted, crossing her arms against her chest.

Naoto's laugh rumbled in his throat. "Nothing, Rise-san. You're just…very interesting." He continued to chuckle, watching as Rise continued to pout.

"Are you laughing at me, Naoto-kun?"

"Of cour-" Naoto was cut off as something soft and fluffy hit him square in the face. His hat fell to the ground, his hair tousled. Silence echoed as the plush bunny hit the floor with a squeak. Naoto stared at it for a second before picking it up. He sputtered, pieces of fur stuck to his tongue. "Pfft."

Still sitting on her bed, Rise held her breath, wondering if she had gone too far. "N-Naoto-kun…?" Rise cringed as she saw one of Naoto's eyes twitch rather violently. "I-I'm so sorry, Naoto-kun!" She cried out, standing up from her bed.

Naoto glowered as he stared down the poor girl. "Well, you should have thought of that before." He bent down slowly…

"It was just a joke! Please for-Ah!" Rise fell backwards onto her bed as something yellow and fluffy came flying at her. She sat up, stunned.

The room was suddenly filled with laughter, Naoto holding a hand to his face as he chuckled. "Ahh… that expression was priceless." Naoto smirked smugly.

Rise was dumbstruck as she watched Naoto's expression. "T-That's mean, Naoto!"

"Sorry, Rise-san. I just couldn't resist. Just to let you know, I never back down from a challenge."

"Wish you could have told me that earlier." Suddenly, her shock disappeared as she grinned maniacally. She turned, giggling to herself.

"H-hey, Rise… what are you planning to do…?" Naoto watched her warily.

"Oh nothing…Just…This!" With all her might, the ex-idol flung her stuffed animals at the shocked detective, pelting him with all manner of plush.

"Ah! R-Rise!" Naoto put up his arms in defense, crouching as the fur animals bounced off the top of his unprotected head. "Mou! R-Rise!" He chuckled quietly, hoping the girl would be prepared for what was coming to her. She had to run out sooner or later…and all the projectiles were on Naoto's side.

Suddenly, the assault stopped and Naoto found his chance. "I've got you now!" He picked up the discarded toys around him, throwing them back at Rise. He was going to win this war no matter what.

_This childish war…_

"Aww…Naoto! No fair!" Rise laughed, amused to see that Naoto was nice enough to humor her.

Then, Naoto suddenly stopped. That nagging voice in the back of his head became louder. He realized what a ridiculous situation this was. They were high school students now…having stuffed animal fights? How juvenile… It wasn't mature at all, or detective like for that matter. He stopped; his hands fell to his sides. "I-I just can't believe I just did that." Naoto smiled wryly, shaking his head. "Such children's games…"

Rise was quiet for a moment, watching the contemplating detective. Did she do something wrong? Nevertheless, the tension in the room was thickening by the second and Rise could hardly stand it anymore.

"Oh, h-how silly of me! I got so caught up that I forgot to get the tea! I'll be right back!" She rose quickly, eager to break the awkward silence.

Time seemed to slow as Naoto watched a series of events unfold.

"R-Rise!"

Preoccupied, Rise didn't seem to notice as her foot caught on the foot of her bedpost. With a loud cry, she was sent sprawling towards the floor. Naoto was panicked and didn't know what to do. He rushed over, his hands outstretched. Rise slammed into Naoto's slender frame and the both of them landed on the floor with a thud.

"Oww…" Rise lay there, her face smothered in Naoto's chest. "S-sorry, Naoto-kun…"

Naoto was trapped beneath the dazed idol, his heart rate speeding off the charts.

Rise sat up slowly, rubbing her head. She put a hand on the floor, steadying herself. She was seated firmly on top of Naoto, straddling him rather effectively.

Suddenly, the door flew open.

"Yo, Rise-chan!" Yosuke burst through the doorway. "We heard you were sick and…" He froze, staring at the sight before him. Yukiko and Chie filed into the room as well, joining Yosuke's silent vigil as they stood and stared.

"Chisu! Why's everyone so quiet in here?" Kanji walked in, but his mouth fell open as soon as he saw Rise and Naoto engaged in a very compromising position. "N-Naoto…"

Naoto flailed beneath Rise, clutching his aching head. "No, no! This isn't what it looks like! This is a misunderstanding!"

Rise stood up slowly, wincing at the pain. "It's not what you think! I fell down and Naoto-kun caught me!"

Naoto scrambled to his feet, his face flush with embarrassment. "K-Kujikawa-san, if you'll e-excuse me n-now…"

The people gathered around the door parted for Naoto and the boy rushed out, running down the stairs.

"You sure are aggressive, Rise-chan." Yosuke smiled at Rise, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"I told you! It's not like that, Yosuke-sempai!" Rise fumed, stomping her feet. "None of you better tell Souji-sempai!" Her face was red from humiliation, making them all swear to take an oath.

Actually, that was the least of Rise's worries. She was more concerned about Naoto. She blushed as she thought about her body, pressed up against Naoto's. Her head resting on his chest… Something clicked in Rise's mind and she suddenly noticed.

Naoto's chest was awfully soft for a guy.

* * *

**A/N:** Third installment up and running. Reviews really are the food for a fanfiction writer's soul, so please, if you want better and faster updates, review away!

Suggestions? Questions? Comments?

The box is right right there.

Hope you enjoyed this. Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

**The Idol and the Prince**

* * *

**Part IV**

* * *

07/31

* * *

"Yo! Let's go!" Yosuke charged head first into the fray as he summoned his Persona. "Susano-O!" A hurricane of sharp gusts whirled through the clearing, cutting and slicing.

Rise watched the fight through Himiko's visor, scanning the shadows that appeared. "Sempai! Be careful, these ones are immune to-"

ZAP!

"GAHH!"

Rise rolled her eyes at Kanji's strangled scream as he was hit with a taste of his own medicine. "It's immune to electricity, you know…?" Rise yelled into her mic, her lips drawn into a thin line.

"Koraaaaa!" Kanji summoned his gargantuan persona and yet again, he was hit with the rebound off the magical mirror.

"Kanji-kun! Listen to me! It's. Immune. Do I have to spell it out for you?? Sempai! Tell him to stop!" Rise stomped her feet, frowning as the group of boys continued to ignore her advice.

"Kanji! Give it another shot!" Kuma encouraged him from behind, smiling widely under that ridiculous bear suit. By this time, the gangster's shirt was already in tatters.

"Kuma, don't! Kanji's health is dangerously low!"

"Yosh! Take-Mikazuchi!" Kanji swung his arms enthusiastically as he summoned the beast again. There was a crackle of static in the air as the shot reflected right back at him. The blow sent the young man flying backwards onto the floor. His shades were knocked off, his head lolling to the side.

Kuma, Yosuke and Souji stared at their unconscious teammate, a look of shock on all three faces.

"What's the point in having a support member if you don't listen to her?!" Rise continued to scream over the mic, hoping she wouldn't pop a blood vessel any time soon. Everyone seemed to drive her up the wall today.

Behind the redhead, Chie stretched her arms, leaning against the wall, Yukiko sitting beside her."Oi, Rise-chan, just calm down. They're guys ya know, so they get like this sometimes."

Rise growled as she continued to watch the all male team explore the game-like maze. Kanji was half dead and the rest of them were running out of SP. "You guys better heal Kanji-kun!"

They kept on running through the dark corridors, or in Kuma and Kanji's cases, skipping and stumbling.

"Look sensei! It's another shadow!" Kuma jumped up and down, pointing at the dark wriggling mass at the end of the hall.

"Alright! Let's beat that thing to a pulp!" Again, Yosuke took the lead, twirling his knives excitedly.

Kanji limped after them. "S-Sempai...If you want to save SP, I don't mind, but at the very least you should give me some antibiotic gel. I think this giant gash is starting to look kinda yellow..."

Ignoring Rise and Kanji, the testosterone driven team headed into battle once again.

"Mou! I've had it with those boys!" Rise released Himiko and sat down on the floor next to Chie.

"That's why you gotta relax, Rise-chan! They'll be fine. They always are, so don't worry so much." Chie smiled at the downtrodden girl. "At least we always listen to you!"

Yukiko rubbed her eyes as she yawned. "Chie's right, Rise-chan..."

The redhead's bottom lip quivered and she could feel the tears well up. "Sempai! You guys are just too nice!" She sniffled, wiping away a stray tear.

"Don't..." Yukiko stopped mid-sentence, yawning. "Mention it..." She rested her head against Chie's shoulder, rubbing her eyes again.

"Umm...Yukiko-sempai, are you alright? You seem really tired." A look of concern overcame Rise. She watched as Yukiko dozed off against Chie. The brunette gathered the sleeping girl closer, shifting into a more comfortable position.

"Yukiko's just tired. She had...nightmares all night yesterday." Chie coughed into her hand, turned her head towards Yukiko. It might have been Rise's imagination, but it seemed like Chie was trying to avoid her eyes.

"Oh, so you slept over at Yukiko sempai's _again_?" Rise started giggling, her tone filled with childish wonderment.

"I-It's not what you think! I-I was just helping Y-Yukiko pick out a new mattress!" Chie lashed out at Rise, but a heavy blush stained her cheeks. All the while, she kept a steady arm wrapped around Yukiko's waist.

"Ne, Chie-sempai...how _did_ you help Yukiko-sempai choose her mattress?" Rise sidled up to Chie, eager to hear her explanation.

Chie tensed, her expression changing from embarrassed to horrified. She really shouldn't have brought up the bed. Rise was no innocent high school girl. Surely, she was the devil incarnate.

"W-well, f-first, you have to test out the firmness of the mattress, t-the size, a-and then, you have to make sure it's not one of the spring mattresses. Yukiko's old mattress was a metal spring one and she could barely sleep at night...tossing and turning. So we tested it out last night a-and she still had nightmares, so w-we have to get a new one."

Rise smirked, but coughed into her hand to hide her expression. She feigned innocence as she continued her line of questioning. "Oh, so you sleep with Yukiko-sempai all the time?"

Chie swallowed hard, beads of sweat gathering on her forehead. "O-oh, no no...I-I only sleep with Yukiko when s-she...t-talks in her sleep!" She put her hands up in defence, pushing Rise away.

"Oh? What does Yukiko sempai say in her slee-"

"Ahhn..." It was a breathy moan.

The two girls stopped.

"Chie...don't touch me there...I'm sensitive..." Yukiko snuggled closer to Chie, her arms wrapped around the sporty girl's waist. She was still fast asleep.

"Y-Yukiko!" Chie burned a bright red, her mouth hung open with horror. She looked back at Rise, who was giving her an 'I-knew-it' smile. "A-a misunderstanding!" Chie screamed, her face as red as red can be.

"Ohohoho! You and Yukiko-sempai _were_ doing naughty things!" Rise grinned mischievously as she gained invaluable blackmail material on one Satonaka Chie.

"S-so were you! Y-You had Naoto-kun all alone in your room! You were basically on top of him when we interrupted!" Chie's look of horror turned into an "Ah ha!" of triumph as she laid out the facts for Rise.

Instead of the embarrassment Chie expected from the ex-idol, she was greeted with a giant grin.

"So, Chie-sempai...you don't deny that you and Yukiko-sempai _were_ doing bad things...?" Rise raised her eyebrows, smiling oh so innocently. She had finally cornered her.

Chie's mouth opened and closed like a fish on land. "I-I..." She was at a loss for words. Just leave it up to Satonaka Chie and her big mouth to ruin everything. Now she was trapped.

"Don't worry, Chie sempai! I'll help keep your secret!" Rise winked as she put a finger to her lips.

"Aghh..." The spunky brunette slumped against the wall, burying her face in her hands as she despaired.

"There, there...I won't blackmail you...too much." Rise smiled harmlessly, eliciting a groan of frustration from Chie.

Kujikawa Rise was certainly not a force to be taken lightly.

* * *

Meanwhile, in front of Marukyu Tofu, a depressed young man stood watching the doorway. With his messy blue hair blowing in the wind, he wondered how he was going to face Rise again after that.

She probably knew...

Despite everything, Naoto still had to get his hat back. After days of going hatless, he just didn't feel like a detective without it.

* * *

As night fell in the small town of Inaba, the streets grew awfully quiet. After the murders started last spring, no one really felt like wandering around at night. In spite of the danger, three unarmed girls meandered down the road, talking animatedly with each other.

"Ahh...the air's so crisp and clean. I just love these cool summer nights." Chie had both hands atop her head, taking in deep breaths as she made her way down the path.

"But...Chie, don't you think it's still a little bit dangerous walking around at night like this...?" Yukiko's eyes darted around as she quickened her step, coming up next to Chie.

"Don't worry, Yukiko. I'll protect you. I'm your Prince Charming after all." The brunette winked, smiling at her companion.

Yukiko blushed, mouthing something to Chie.

"Aww...sempai! You guys are such a cute couple." Rise giggled as she skipped happily behind the two.

"Rise-chan, if you speak a word of this to anyone, your fate will be worse than Yosuke's the time he messed up my DVD..." Chie clenched her fists, her blood boiling just thinking about the incident.

"You wouldn't be so mean, would you, Chie-sempai?" Rise smiled innocently, working up her puppy dog face.

"Hahaha...you two..." Yukiko snickered, the light atmosphere overcoming the dark apprehension. Even though they had Mitsuo trapped in the TV world, Inaba had lost its reputation as a peaceful town.

The streetlights flickered eerily, the shopping district completely deserted. The sky was pitch black now and stars dotted the heavens. Investigation days usually ended quite early, but today, they went a little overtime. Junes was almost closed by the time they left the other world.

"Is it just me, or did it get a lot colder all of a sudden...?" Rise rubbed her bare arms, feeling the goosebumps rise on her skin.

"Y-you're right, Rise-chan." Yukiko stood closer to Chie, slipping her hand through the taller girl's. "It's gotten kind chilly..."

Chie looked around sceptically, feeling a chill run down her spine. These two were really dampening the mood. "C-come on, you guys...it's just your imagination." She laughed nervously, inching closer to Yukiko.

Suddenly, the streetlights dimmed, buzzing loudly before the light disappeared all together.

"C-Chie..." Yukiko grabbed Chie's arm.

"Ahaha...don't worry, Yukiko, I'm here to..." Chie peered into the darkness, a figure coming into view under the awning of a streetlight. "protect you..." her voice grew quiet and the group stopped walking.

The faint moonlight threw shadows against the walls, and they stretched and twisted. They surrounded the girls on all sides. The figure in front grew larger with each step, towering over them menacingly.

Rise hid behind Chie, rummaging through her purse for a canister of pepper spray. She whispered. "O-okay...on the count of three, y-you guys jump him. I-I'll blind him with pepper spray."

"S-sure, no problem..." Chie nodded, taking an offensive stance.

Yukiko shifted nervously, balling her hands up into fists.

The shadowy figure approached them slowly. His gait was quick and confident, taking large strides. Even under the cover of night, the three girls could make out the person to be very slim. If they used the element of surprise, they could overwhelm their attacker with ease.

"Okay...on my count..." Rise could feel the cold sweat bead on her forehead as she listened to the footsteps echo on the asphalt.

"1..." The steps quickened.

"2..." The figure reached out a hand.

"3!"

Without notice, the lights flickered on again and the entire street was flooded with light.

Naoto blinked, wide eyed. "R-Rise-san..."

Three pairs of eyes were glued onto Naoto's slender frame. The boy was as surprised as they were. The three girls were poised to attack, frozen in their positions. Chie was in a martial arts stance, Yukiko had her fan out and Rise held her can of pepper spray in an outstretched hand.

They all breathed a sigh of relief.

"N-N-Naoto-kun, what are you doing here so late at night?" Rise laughed nervously, fumbling as she stuffed the canister back into her purse.

"I was...in the neighbourhood." Naoto ran a hand through his hair casually, peering into the darkness that surrounded them.

"Naoto-kun...it's almost midnight..." Yukiko was still as white as a sheet, her nails digging into her palms.

Chie smiled uneasily as she relaxed.

"Well, I could say the same for you three. Aren't you afraid of walking around at this time of day? After all, you never know what kind of people are waiting in the shadows." Naoto fidgeted, stuffing his hands in his pockets.

"Like you, Naoto-kun?" Chie inquired, a completely honest expression on her face.

"Uh, well... I'm an officer of the law." Naoto looked around furtively, his hands clenching and unclenching in his pockets.

"Are you alright? You seem uneasy." Rise stepped forward, peering in Naoto's clouded blue eyes.

Naoto turned his eyes downward, seemingly ashamed. "Rise-san, this seems as good an opportunity as any other, so would you mind returning my hat, please?"

"Eh? Your hat?" Rise seemed taken aback. Suddenly, a shy blush colored her cheeks as she noticed Naoto's blue hair, unaccompanied by his trademark accessory. "Oh, sure, Naoto-kun." Rise swore in her mind. She really did like that hat very much. Just yesterday, she posed for a number of pictures in that hat...

Seeing as Rise was preoccupied with her night-time visitor, Chie and Yukiko decided to make their exit. "Okay, then, Rise-chan. We'll see you tomorrow. Bye, Naoto-kun." Chie waved a goodbye as she and Yukiko made their way down the street, turning into an alley. Their running footsteps disappeared into the night.

"Bye." Rise waved weakly.

"Rise-san?" Naoto looked impatient, tapping his foot on the asphalt.

"Oh, sorry, Naoto-kun. Let's get going." She started walking, but after a few steps, she noticed that Naoto wasn't following her.

"Rise-san...where are you going?"

Rise looked back to see Naoto in the exact same spot she left him. "Home, of course, where else?" She was puzzled by that question.

"We're right in front of your house, Rise-san..." Naoto raised an eyebrow mockingly.

The redhead looked back to see the sign, "Marukyu Tofu" shrouded in the darkness.

"Oh." She felt embarrassed once again, Naoto's mature charm making her seem so childish.

Naoto chuckled softly. "You should be a comedian."

Rise huffed, her face red. "Whatever...Let's just get your stupid hat, Naoto-kun." She grabbed Naoto's hand impatiently, pulling him into her house.

Naoto tensed at her touch, but he allowed her just this once to have her way. His lips were turned up in a wry smile.

As Rise opened the door and locked it behind her, they made their way up the stairs and to her room. On Rise's bed, Naoto's hat sat atop one of her stuffed animals. Naoto smiled to himself, marvelling over Rise's juvenile mannerisms. She strode over quickly, picking up the hat.

Rise bit her lower lip as she fidgeted with the hat in her hands. She glanced at her desk. "Naoto-kun, would you take a picture with me? Just this once?" Rise pleaded, her camera already in hand. She pulled the blue cap over her head, striking a pose.

He chuckled at her antics. "Haha...sorry, Rise-san. I'm afraid I don't turn out well in pictures...so if I can have my hat back..." He stretched out a hand, feeling his head aching already.

Despite Naoto's protests, Rise poised the camera. "Say cheese!"

"Ahh! Rise!" Naoto ducked and dodged, twisting and turning as Rise chased him with the camera.

"C'mon! Just one! You look so cute!" Rise clicked the button feverishly, desperate to get shots of a Naoto-kun without his hat on. The detective dashed around madly, jumping tables and slamming into walls and doors.

After what seemed like an hour of playing cat and mouse, both Naoto and Rise were slumped against the bed, panting. They struggled to catch their breath, their faces red from the exertion. Naoto wiped the sweat from his brow, a faint smile on his lips.

"Y-you're a f-formidable adversary, K-Kujikawa Rise...." Naoto panted in between words.

"Ha! Y-You're not too b-bad y-yourself, Shirogane...F-for a detective..." Rise smirked, swatting playfully at the bluenette. She looked over pleadingly. "C-can I just have one picture?"

"U-Uh...well..." Naoto's eyes darted around.

Rise pouted, looking sadly at the young man. "Please?"

He swallowed his integrity as he sighed. "Okay, fine. Just one."

They took their places and Rise swung an arm around his shoulders, bringing them closer together as she held the camera at arm's length.

"Say Cheese!" Rise smiled at the camera with such familiarity, only something a seasoned idol would have.

Naoto tried his best to smile widely, but it felt forced and awkward to him.

Rise pressed the button and the camera whirred.

"Aww! Naoto-kun, you're so photogenic!" Rise fawned over the shot.

"That doesn't mean much coming from an idol..." Naoto peered at the screen, blushing as he glanced at Rise's picture perfect capture.

"Let's take another!" Rise's excitement was hardly contained as she bubbled over.

Naoto slipped out of her grasp and made a beeline for the door. He grabbed hold of the door knob and turned, but to his horror, it was locked. From the inside.

"Say cheese!" Rise came up behind him, snapping away on her digital camera.

Naoto panicked, not knowing whether he wanted to start this chase again.

* * *

**A/N:** Guh...I've lost my voice and I have a terrible cold. thanks to this, I've been able to stay home and update so quickly! :D I don't know if this is a blessing or a curse, but nevertheless, it's working out.

Don't worry, there's more action coming up in the later chapters. I promise.

I hope you enjoyed this! Please review!


	5. Chapter 5

**

* * *

**

The Idol and the Prince

**

* * *

**

**Part V**

**

* * *

**

08/12

* * *

Naoto sat on the edge of the docks, his legs dangling above the flowing waters. He stared into the murky blue, his eyes clouded over with pensiveness. His thoughts were lost in the swirl of water and he sighed heavily.

"Kujikawa Rise…" Naoto stared out at the river blankly as he said her name. He hadn't seen her for nearly two weeks. The last time they met was when he waited outside her house all day in order to get his hat back. Reflexively, his hands went up to his head, mindfully adjusting his cap. He was rather fond of it and he cringed, thinking back to the measures he had to take in order to have his way.

Sighing again, Naoto found a name escaping his lips. "Rise…" He trailed off, his brows furrowing with concentration. He glanced at the forgotten notebook in his hand. The page was dated just last week, notes jotted down in his elegant scrawl.

_August 05_

_10:07 –Junes food court, seen with S. Souji and co._

_10:50 – target lost (electronics department)_

_19:30 – exists Junes with A. Yukiko, S. Chie._

_(Appearances seem tired, lethargic actions)_

For the umpteenth time, Naoto scanned over the entry, wracking his brain for a plausible explanation. It was the first of many observations, the first day he decided to follow Rise and her friends. Also, it was the first of many inconsistencies. The time frame was choppy, nearly eight hours lost before the group resurfaced. He had secured all exits and had confirmed that they hadn't left Junes for the entire day. A group of six teenagers wasn't supposed to be hard to keep track of, but they disappeared without a trace once they turned into the electronics department.

Nothing seemed to make sense. The physical evidence was baffling, but the logic that followed was even stranger. Could a group of teens really spend their entire day inside a department store? Were country kids that deprived…?

He thought about it again, analysing the facts, but nothing made sense. With this, he couldn't possibly write up a suspicions report. After all, teenagers disappearing into department stores for long periods of time didn't seem like solid evidence for the case.

Naoto grabbed his hat, scrunching it up in his hands in frustration. Things just didn't add up. There was no logical explanation, no conclusion to draw from the evidence. Were they up to no good or were they just…

_Bzzt _

He sighed. "What now…?" Naoto fished his mobile out of his pocket, flipping it open. It was Rise.

_Sry I've been so busy these past weeks, but I'm finally free!_

_Why don't we study?_

_You did promise me~ _

_-Rise_

Naoto grinned at the message, typing in a reply as he stood, adjusting his hat. Her message came at a perfect time. He had a lot of questions to ask her. It was strange, but he felt as if he was getting closer to Rise, closer to catching a break in the case.

* * *

An hour later, Naoto found himself seated on Rise's bed. Books were scattered about, papers haphazardly covered the floor. It either looked like she was studying really hard, or that someone had just ransacked her bedroom.

"Naoto-kun, sorry to keep you waiting!" Rise re-entered the room, a couple of drinks in hand. The ice clinked as she put them down on the low sitting table beside her bed. She took a seat after, flipping through the pages in her textbook. She had a grave expression on and Naoto could tell that she really was serious about studying.

"It's no problem." Naoto stood as he walked over, taking a seat beside Rise on the floor. He shifted, crossing his legs to get into a more comfortable position.

"So, Naoto-kun, I don't get this part. How do you prove that this is equal to this?" Rise pointed at the page, her brows furrowed in confusion. She bit her lip, thinking about the problem intensely.

"Well, first you have to make sure that both sides are simplified. Like this…" Naoto leaned in close, his face just inches away from the idol's. Rise tensed as he came closer. As he reached for the pencil in her hand, Rise could feel a soft touch brush against her arm.

The girl jumped at this and a small sound of surprise escaped her lips.

"Rise-san, are you alright?" Naoto retracted his hand, moving away from the redhead. He looked at her carefully, confused at the blush that spread across her cheeks so easily.

"I-I'm fine, I'm fine." She nodded her head vigorously, a sheepish smile on her face.

The detective gave her a sceptic look, but he continued on nevertheless. He leaned in again, pushing pen to paper as he started to explain the question. "In order to find what the left side…"

Rise's mind drifted off as Naoto's gentle voice droned on. She stole a sidelong glance at him, staring intently into his boyish face, observing the sharp angle of his jaw, his impeccably perfect skin, his unusually long lashes. Having taken a closer look, Rise realized that Naoto's face was so…feminine. Without his scowl or his pursed lips, he really was…with lack of a better word, beautiful.

She leaned in closer to follow the steps as he worked down the sheet of paper. Blushing, she noticed that he was incredibly warm. With her body so close to his, she could practically feel the warmth radiate off him. On a whim, she craned her neck closer, the scent of detergent and faint cologne filling her senses.

Suddenly, Naoto turned, startling the redhead. "Do you understand what I'm doing so far?" Apparently, he hadn't noticed her preoccupation, because he hadn't spared her a single glance after he started the problem.

However, Rise's cheeks were flushed a bright red, her heart thudding in her chest. He had almost caught her staring at him, admiring him… It was a chilling feeling, but it sent her heart rate skyrocketing.

"Rise-san?" He looked concerned as he saw her condition. "Are you sure you're fine? You look a little flushed." Naoto reached out a hand, but Rise stood abruptly.

"H-Haha…sorry, It's just a little bit hot in here." She laughed nervously. "Mind if I turn up the air conditioning?"

"Go ahead." Naoto put down the pencil as he watched Rise make her way to the cooling unit by her bed. She climbed onto the mattress and fiddled with the dial. It clicked a couple of times as she turned it, the whirring of the machine getting louder. Cold air filled the room and Rise lounged in front of the vent, letting out a sigh of relief.

Seconds later, she sat back down at the table with Naoto, fully determined to pay attention this time. "So, where were we?" She smiled, scanning over the page filled with Naoto's writing.

The boy continued on, his mouth moving faster than his brain could form sentences. He knew the material like the back of his hand and his pencil flew over the paper, moving with his reflexes. "Then, when you get to this part, you have to square-"

Naoto stopped as a sudden grinding noise filled the room. He turned; the source of the noise coming from the air conditioning machine. "Uh…Rise-san, is that normal?"

Rise stuttered as she looked at Naoto and then at the appliance. "I-I don't think so…"

The grinding slowed and the machine groaned, making a guttural noise. Then, the whirring stopped all together and the room fell silent.

"I guess it's…broken." Rise blinked, confused. "Looks like I broke it, actually…"

"Is that okay? Maybe I should take a look at it?" Naoto motioned to rise, but Rise stretched an arm out, stopping the young man.

"It's okay. We should just keep going. It shouldn't get _that_ hot in here." Rise smiled assuredly, turning her attention back to the horrid summer assignments.

Naoto obediently complied, getting back into work mode as he picked up the pencil once again. "Now, here, this one's a little bit different…"

They worked through question after question, the pile of 'not done' diminishing quite quickly. However, as the seconds ticked past, Naoto was starting to feel more and more uncomfortable. At first, it was just a prickling heat at the base of his neck, so he loosened his tie, and undid the top two buttons on his shirt. He pulled at his collar uncomfortably, knocking his hat onto the floor. Glancing over, Naoto noticed that Rise was busily fanning herself with a stack of homework. She gulped down her iced tea, the ice cubes, long melted.

Regardless, Naoto tried to hide his discomfort as he shifted on the warm hardwood floor. He cleared his throat, motioning for the redhead to follow along. Rise struggled to comply, her concentration fading fast. They were almost done. If only they could finish these last few pages.

With every minute that passed, Naoto could feel the sweat roll down the side of his face. With the humidity in the room, his hair was bound to be a mess. For the third time in the past ten minutes, he reached for his glass again. He drained the last of the cold liquid, licking his lips. Turning back to the jumble of words in front of him, he grasped the pencil in his sweaty hand, grimacing at the feeling.

"Ah, mou! I can't stand it anymore!" Rise stood suddenly, raising her arms into the air as she pulled her shirt over her head. She fought with the stubborn piece of clothing, wrestling with the t-shirt. The tank top that Rise wore under was starting to ride up precariously.

All the while, Naoto stared, wide eyed. Currently, his eyes were transfixed on the creamy expanse of Rise's taut stomach. Her skin was like porcelain, flawless. The more the girl struggled, the higher her shirt lifted, exposing her pink and lacy brassiere. As he stared, he noticed that Rise had an amazing figure. His eyes worked downward from her endowed chest, following the outline of her slim waist. Her shorts hung low on her full hips, the tell tale lace poking out from the waist of her pants. He continued, drinking in the sight of her long and slender legs.

The detective didn't mean to stare, but something just drew his attention to watch as the idol unknowingly exposed more than she wished to. His cheeks began to color furiously, the blood rushing to his head.

"That's so much better!" Rise sighed relief as she tossed the article of clothing off to the side. She slumped against her bed, throwing her head back to rest on the mattress. She wiped away the sweat on her brow with one hand, the other plucking the fabric of her shirt up and down, up and down…up…and down.

Naoto blinked, clueless. He couldn't tear his eyes away, the speed of his heart leaving him breathless. Softly, he cursed white clothing. As the idol fanned herself, the flimsy piece of attire hugged her figure, accentuating her curves. He could see everything, especially those pert, perfectly round…

"Ne, Naoto-kun…" Rise said his name breathlessly as she turned her head towards him, her eyes lidded. Those gold orbs seemingly smouldered.

Naoto hadn't noticed before, but they were sitting terribly close. Her face was inches away, her pink and supple lips parted with a sigh as he stared. They looked so inviting as they trembled slightly with her slow breaths, her chest heaving up and down. For a split second, Naoto wished that he could just ravage her then and there.

Subconsciously, he leaned forward, his breathing shallow, his eyes shot with desire.

She spoke.

"Maybe we should go somewhere else. We're not really getting any studying done at this rate…"

Naoto snapped back up as Rise's eyes slowly fluttered open. For a second, he stared at those long lashes, at those pools of honey that looked up at him in confusion.

Naoto cleared his throat as he snapped out of his reverie. He quickly piled her books into his arms as he stood. "I-I'll be waiting for you downstairs." With that, he turned and left, leaving Rise slightly dumfounded.

"Naoto?" She stared at the doorway where the detective rushed out, her mind still trying to register what had happened. With a start, she rose, rifling through her closet as she yelled down. "I-I'll be there in a minute! Let me grab a change of clothes!"

The bluenette dashed out of the tofu shop, a hand clutched to his chest. It seemed like his heart was going to jump out, thudding so hard against his ribcage. He could still feel the clouded feelings in his mind, an inkling pricked at his consciousness. Never had he felt this way around another girl, much less a guy.

The sensation was strange. Not unpleasant…but uncomfortable. He took deep breaths, trying to control his speeding pulse.

"Naoto-kun!"

Naoto could feel a pressure in his chest again as his heartbeat thundered erratically. He turned around to come face to face with the source of his distress.

"So, where are we going to go?" Rise smiled as she asked inquisitively, her hands clasped behind her back.

The boy stared into those golden eyes that seemed to radiate with warmth. Her smile was dazzling, innocent all the while. The way she brushed back a lock of hair made his breath hitch in his throat. Really, Kujikawa Rise could not be a normal girl to make him feel this way.

"Naoto-kun?" Rise furrowed her brows as stared into Naoto's blank stare.

It had to be the heat. There was no way that Shirogane Naoto could possibly be having these thoughts. It just didn't make sense. He inhaled deeply, the fresh air filling his lungs. The air was stale in that room. Maybe that could make people do strange things…

He shook his head, rattling his thoughts. He took yet another deep breath, willing the distraction to go away. "Let's…go to the riverbank. I know a quiet place where we can study." Naoto regained his composure for now, smiling slightly as he led the way.

Rise trailed behind him, still thinking about the sudden stall in Naoto's actions just now. Was the heat really getting to him? She looked again, observing Naoto as he walked. He had a serious expression on his face as always. Nothing seemed to be out of place. Thrusting this thought to the back of her mind, she jogged up to Naoto as they walked down the road, Samegawa riverbank just on the other end of this dusty path.

Naoto was silent the whole way as they made their way to the river. He waded through the tall grass that bordered the stream. There was a picnic area in the distance, a roof over the table. Rise skipped over excitedly, her purse flailing on her arm.

"Uwa! It's so pretty here! How did you know about this place, Naoto-kun?" Rise glanced around, a look of amazement on her face. She helped Naoto set her things down, taking a seat on the wooden bench.

The detective smiled, his nervousness gone. "I come here often to think about cases I'm working on. I really love the fresh air and the solitude." He took off his hat, smoothing back his hair as he stood there in the breeze.

"Ne…I really want to thank you for doing this." Rise turned her face to the side, blushing slightly. Her voice was shy and sincere, Naoto thunderstruck at the expression.

"I-It's nothing." He pulled his hat down lower, obscuring his face in the shadow of the rim.

"Really! It's all because Naoto-kun was such a good teacher!" Rise gave him a heart-warming smile as she giggled to herself.

Naoto could feel his heart skip a beat as she smiled at him. Again, it was that pressure in his chest that made him feel so…uncomfortable. "Y-You must be thirsty, Rise-san. Let me go get you a drink!" With that, he bolted off towards the vending machines in the distance, clutching his hat to his head as he sprinted the stretch.

Rise giggled again, amazed at how she could make the young man redden with embarrassment. Such boys nowadays were a rare find. Such purity…innocence… Naoto-kun was nothing like those ego-inflated macho types. Nothing like the loud mouthed Yosuke, the strong silent – too silent- Souji or the gangster teddy bear Kanji. Naoto was mature and serious, but considerate all the while. Not to mention good looking. Mulling over these points, Rise thought to herself about the summer festival. Maybe instead of going as a group, she could…

"Here, Rise-san." Naoto returned, setting a carton of cold milk tea in front of Rise. The girl was jolted out of her trance. "You said you liked this before."

"Naoto-kun! I can't believe you remembered!" The girl smiled, poking her straw through the carton.

He was nicer than all her sempai put together.

Naoto sat down beside her, shaking his head. "Again, I said I-It's nothing..." He scowled slightly, his brows furrowed as his cheeks colored. "You deserve a reward after all, for working so hard." He breathed a sigh of relief as he slumped against the table; his cheeks flush against his can of iced coffee.

Rise giggled, sipping her milk tea. She stole a sidelong glance at Naoto, who had his head on the table, his eyes closed. As she ran her eyes over his gentle features, she couldn't help but think that he was so her type.

Finally, she had made her decision.

As if he could feel her gaze linger on him, Naoto sat up. "So, would you like to continue studying, Rise-san?" He looked over at the flushed Rise, who seemed to be in deep contemplation.

"Rise-san…?"

She coughed lightly into her hand. "U-um, if it's alright with you, could we stop here for the day?" Rise stared up at Naoto, pleading with her eyes.

"That's fine. Let's continue this another time." He relaxed again; the earlier tension and seriousness were gone. Naoto took in another deep breath, the fresh air clearing his mind.

"Ne, Naoto…?" Rise swung her legs back and forth, shuffling them on the grass nervously as she fidgeted with the hem of her shirt.

Naoto peeked an eye open, glancing at Rise. "Hm?"

"I was wondering if…you weren't busy on the 20th." Rise had a shy smile on her lips, her voice becoming a lot sweeter than usual.

"I…don't think so. What do you have in mind?" Naoto turned to face her, his curiosity piqued.

"If you're not busy then, would you mind going to the summer festival with me?"

Naoto's heart throbbed; a barrage of emotions wracked his body. He could barely register the question. Kujikawa Rise, _Risette_, was asking him out. It came as a shock to the detective, but an even stronger emotion overcame him as he realized something. His feelings had to be wrong. His mind was clear, but still, he couldn't explain the sense of excitement that filled him. He wanted to accept her offer.

He wanted to take Rise to the festival.

He wanted to spend more time with her.

* * *

**A/N: **Sorry about the long filler chapter. More action to come...in later chapters... Please stay tuned!  
I hope you enjoyed it and please review!


	6. Chapter 6

**The Idol and the Prince**

* * *

**Part VI**

* * *

08/20

* * *

Naoto stood at the Tori gates, shifting his feet nervously. There were so many people around him filling into the shrine. Men, women and children alike were laughing and smiling. The air was static with all the excitement.

The young man could do nothing but stare as he waited impatiently. What was so interesting about the festival anyway? It was an event made for children. The activities were always the same, the food ridiculously expensive, and you were forced to walk a crowded street to get to the stalls in the first place. What a stupid social affair.

Naoto glowered, raising his head up to the night sky. He glared at the stars, trying to keep his attention on them, but to no avail. No matter how strong his willpower, his eyes would always wander back down to the sea of people, scanning, searching for one in particular.

Something terribly stupid had been on his mind all this time. Something so stupid, so naïve, so childish. Something that was…

Incredibly enticing.

Leaning against the shrine entrance, Naoto let out a long sigh. He flipped open his phone for the umpteenth time that night, checking the clock.

It was the day of the festival and Rise…was late.

Naoto stuffed his hands in his pocket, a grimace staining his features. Why was Rise late when she was the one who asked him out in the first place? It was a waste of his time, his effort. He could just leave now and say that there was an emergency at the precinct, but something in him forced his feet to stay rooted to the ground.

Smiling weakly, Naoto realized that his impatience wasn't due to the fact that he had been waiting for nearly an hour, but the fact that he wanted to see Rise.

"I'm such an idiot…"

* * *

The warm lantern lights glowed, strung along in the courtyard of the shrine. The festival was in full swing. The smells of food sizzled in the air, takoyaki, yakisoba and other heavenly aromas wafted towards Naoto.

For a second, he thought of grabbing a nice fresh off the grill platter of yakitori…or maybe some okonomiyaki. His mouth was watering now, his stomach growling in protest. He hadn't eaten for the whole day.

However, as Naoto began to think about it, he knew he couldn't abandon his post. What if Rise showed up while he was stuffing his face? It wouldn't be a very pleasant impression…

"H-hey!"

The detective turned, recognizing the voice.

"Oh, Tatsumi-san." It was Tatsumi Kanji and his bleached white hair dressed in his ragged t-shirt. Looming over the smaller boy, Kanji scratched his head sheepishly, offering an awkward smile.

"S-so. A-are you here with someone?" The big lug was blushing now, his head turned to avoid Naoto's gaze.

"Yes. I'm meeting up with a friend." Naoto cocked an eyebrow, wondering why Kanji was acting so strangely.

"O-oh! That's good. You haven't been in town for too long, so it's good you've made some friends…" Kanji smiled widely, laughing nervously.

"Well, it's been nice talking to you, Tatsumi-san. I-"

"Kanji! Just call me Kanji!" The gangster took hold of Naoto's hands, covering them with his own.

Naoto froze, his eye twitching madly. Oh no. This scene felt so familiar, but at the same time, it was so very wrong. Especially with the bystanders starting to whisper and giggle.

Steeling up his courage, Kanji seemed to get redder in the face as he stuttered. "W-would you like…well, if you're n-not busy…sometime…Maybe g-go…"

"Naoto-kun!"

Both heads turned at the voice, Naoto, letting out a sigh of relief as a certain redhead came to the rescue. The idol walked quickly in her wooden sandals, the tight yukata restricting her movement. Wrenching his hands out of Kanji's monstrous ones, Naoto escaped his grasp and rushed towards Rise. She waved enthusiastically at the detective while Naoto smiled and waved back.

Meeting Naoto halfway, Rise was panting, out of breath.

"Hah…hah…N-Naoto-kun. I'm so sorry I'm late. It took longer than I expected to put this thing on…a-and it's not very easy to run in as you just saw…" In one hand, she held a small purse, while the other was clutched firmly onto Naoto's arm, keeping her balance.

"I-It's fine, Rise-san. I didn't wait that long anyway. It's really good to see you." He had completely forgotten about being angry. It was more than just a wave of relief that washed over him when he saw her. It had only been ten days since they last met, but he missed her.

Still panting slightly, the girl looked up, sticking her tongue out at Naoto. "Missed you too, Naoto-kun, but you're such a liar! I know you've been waiting for a while. You should be mad at me! Ask me to make it up to you!" Rise giggled, swatting playfully at the boy.

"I-I uhh…" Naoto didn't know why, but he could feel his heart hammering in his chest, threatening to jump out. Rise's laughter pealed out so clearly, her adorable pigtails bobbed as she talked…And that yukata… "Y-You look very nice today Rise-san."

"W-what kind of punishment is that…? It's a little off topic, but thank you." Rise shied away as a light pink coloured her cheeks. She moved away from Naoto as she modeled her yukata, spinning around a couple of times. "Do you really like it? I spent hours thinking about it before I finally picked this one."

Pensively, Naoto stared. Rise really was set out to be a star. The deep red yukata hugged her curves graciously, accentuating her hourglass figure, her slim waist and her shapely breasts. Moreover, Naoto's eyes were drawn to how tightly the yellow obi was tied. Not only did he wonder if it was painful, but also why Rise had to torture him with such feminine traits. His collar was getting a little tighter already.

"I think you look stunning, Rise-san." Naoto offered a sincere smile, although the voices in his head were a tad more lecherous. Even though he wanted to grow up to be a strong detective, the hormones felt out of place.

"Oh, Naoto-kun! You're too sweet!" Rise beamed.

"W-well then, shall we get going soon?" He cleared his throat, gathering his cool composure.

Nodding enthusiastically, Rise hooked her arm through Naoto's, pressing herself close against the detective. "I need a little bit of help here. I'm not very used to walking in a yukata." Rise smiled sheepishly, hoping her explanation would work.

Naoto seemed uneasy about it, but Rise's warmth and the sweet scent of her perfume was intoxicating, lulling the boy into a trance. Her body just felt so perfect against his, so…soft, and petite... Suddenly, Naoto shut his thoughts out, his face growing a little red.

He remained silent for a while, trying to erase the images from his mind.

Meanwhile, as the couple walked off, Kanji stood there, his eyes wide at the exchange that he had just witnessed. Were they really dating? He stared after them quizzically as they walked past without saying a word to him. However, gangster was satisfied enough with his night. He had gotten to hold Naoto's hand after all.

* * *

"Let's play this game!" Rise waved Naoto over hurriedly as she pointed to a booth with a pyramid of milk bottles set up and three rifles sitting on the counter.

"Would you like to play, miss?" The man cracked a toothy grin at Rise, his eyes crinkling with his smile.

"Yes, please!"

"It's 200 yen for 5 shots and 300 yen for 7 shots. Which would you like, miss?"

"5, please!"

Just as Rise was about to hand over the money, Naoto rushed over, his wallet open.

"Don't worry Rise-san. Let me get that for you." Naoto smiled courteously, wanting to be in character for his role as the male counterpart on this date.

"If you say so, Naoto-kun." Rise giggled as she took hold of the toy rifle, holding it awkwardly in her arms. She bit her lip in concentration, her hands shaking as she took aim.

Pop!

The cork flew out of the gun and hit the tarp behind the targets. Rise reloaded the gun and settled down again.

Pop!

This time, it hit the counter.

Determined to show Naoto how good she really was, Rise rolled up the sleeves of her yukata, peering through the scope as she steadied her hands.

Pop!

It zinged off the cash register, past the ducking vendor, ricocheted off the counter and finally, landed on the floor with a plop. Staring at the cork piece, Rise pouted.

Just as she was about to try again, she heard a chuckle behind her. She whipped around to see Naoto trying hard to stifle his chuckles, his hand clamped on top of his mouth. He coughed, masking his laughter, but Rise flashed him an icy glare.

"Naoto-kun! You're not supposed to laugh at me!" She crossed her arms, stomping her foot.

"I'm so sorry, Rise-san, but you just looked so serious playing the game. I couldn't help myself." He chuckled, the laughter lighting up his blue eyes.

"Mou…" Rise pouted, turning away from the detective. She thought Naoto-kun would have a little more sensitivity, but in the end, he was like all the other boys.

Suddenly, something clicked in Naoto's mind. He had seen something like this on TV once before… He knew it was a bad idea, but it would be nice to help Rise out, right? Not to mention the fact that Naoto anted to just simply get closer to her. It was a strange sensation that had been growing ever since the evening had started.

"Here. Let me show you how to do it."

Rise muttered under her breath. "Great…" Now, the macho guy would come in, take the gun from her and tell her that this was a man's job, not a woman's.

"H-hey! What?" Rise gave a startled cry as Naoto snaked his arms around her, picking up the rifle as set Rise's hands in the correct position. Slowly, he guided her dainty fingers towards the trigger, taking aim.

"I-It's all about having steady hands, you know?" Naoto laughed nervously, trying to lighten the tension, leaning forward as he rested his chin on Rise's shoulder to get a better view of the target.

"Ready…? 1…2…3…" The girl shuddered involuntarily, the sound of Naoto's velvet tenor soothing her senses. She could feel his breath play on the nape of her neck as he whispered softly in her ear.

He squeezed gently, pushing Rise's finger against the trigger.

Pop.

_His hands…They were so soft, much softer than hers._

And again. Pop.

The center two bottles of the pyramid base were knocked off and the whole stack came tumbling down.

"See, Rise-san? You're a good shot." To Naoto's surprise, Rise stayed silent, averting his gaze as she stood off to the side.

"Here you go, you two! You get the grand prize." The games operator winked at Naoto, handing him a giant stuffed panda. "It'll make a nice gift for your girlfriend there."

Trying to ignore the shopkeeper, Naoto suppressed his blush, walking over to Rise. "Rise-san, don't you want your prize?"

The redhead was blushing hard now, her face hot with embarrassment. "I-I…It was you who won it, Naoto-kun…" Her heart was still beating erratically, the blood pounding in her ears.

"Well…in that case, I want to give it to you. Think of it as a present." Naoto said as he held it out.

"T-thank you." Hugging the panda close to her, Rise shyly tugged on Naoto's sleeve as they made their way to the next stall.

Soon enough, the awkward atmosphere lifted and Rise was back to her bubbly self. The two walked the entire festival and it was only after 3 goldfish, 2 plates of takoyaki and three cell phone straps later that Rise started to slow down…or not.

"Where would you like to go next?"

"How about we get some candy apples?" Rise pointed to a stall on the other side of the pathway. "C'mon!" She grabbed hold of Naoto's hand, dragging him along.

"H-hey!" He struggled to keep hold of his hat, the bag of goldfish and the giant panda as they ran to the stall, children laughing at the sight and mothers giving disapproving stares.

"Two, please!" Rise yelled to the vendor as she held up two fingers quite cutely.

"Wait! Umm…Could you make that just one?" Naoto rummaged in his pocket as he pulled out his wallet, fishing for a few coins.

"Are you sure, Naoto-kun? They're really good." Rise looked over, pouting.

"It's fine. I don't really like sweets, Rise-san." Smiling apologetically, Naoto handed the man the money, giving the candied treat over to the redhead.

"Shall we sit down somewhere?"

Rise nodded and Naoto led her over to the benches near the offertory box. This part of the festival grounds was almost deserted, shrouded in semi-darkness. The lone lamp flickered on and off, the glow of the festival meters away.

They were alone at last.

Setting the spoils of the night down on the bench beside them, Naoto took a seat, beckoning for Rise to do the same. Sitting down, Rise let out a sigh of relief.

"Ahhh…These sandals are so uncomfortable…My feet are aching already. I don't know how I'm going to walk down all those stairs later…" She set down her sweet treat and stretched out her legs. She massaged the sole of her foot as she let out a small groan.

Chuckling softly, Naoto couldn't believe how absolutely cute Rise could be even when she was complaining about something.

"Is something funny, Naoto-kun?!" Rise puffed her cheeks out in feigned anger, her arms crossed against her chest.

"Well, if you're so tired, I could carry you home." He teased playfully; his air of seriousness was gone.

"Aw Naoto-kun…I might really take you up on that offer, but I think you have your hands full already!" Rise giggled, pointing to the stuff that sat on the bench beside them.

Naoto laughed along with the redhead. "I guess you're right, Rise-san, but if worst comes to worst, I could always call your precious Seta Souji-sempai." He gave her a knowing smile, watching as Rise's cheeks turned red.

"H-how did you hear about that?!" She leaned forward, the alarm in her voice climbing as she continued. "I-I…r-rumours! That's all they were…After all, I…" Rise trailed off as she concentrated her gaze on her sandals, shuffling them around absent-mindedly.

Naoto held a gentle smile on his lips, watched the blush slowly fade from Rise's pale cheeks. "I'm sorry, that was a horrible joke…How about I call you a taxi instead then?"

Rise scoffed, recovering from the bout of embarrassment. "Hah! A taxi? One that'd be willing to go up the stairs to the shrine…? No matter how rich and famous I was, I don't think a taxi driver would do that!" She giggled, holding up a hand to stifle her laughs.

"Hmm…if a taxi's no good, how about I call my chauffeur? He's got a helicopter."

"You've got to be kidding me! A helicopter? Where do you come up with these things?" Rise was doubled over with laughter, her candy apple sitting beside her on the bench, forgotten.

"Are normal people not supposed to have helicopters…?" Naoto looked puzzled, his blue eyes wide with a childish innocence Rise had never seen before.

"Um, well…it's not really a household item…" Rise paused for a moment. "Wait. Don't tell me you were serious this time?" She stared, waiting for a reply.

"It's a lot more convenient then getting caught in traffic…"

"…" Rise just stared with her mouth open, gaping. "A-are you loaded?"

"To put it simply, yes… Haven't you ever been up to the Shirogane estate? It's the only house with western architecture in Inaba." Naoto stated it very matter-of-factly, almost surprised that Rise had never heard of it.

"Now that you mention it…is it that old house north of Samegawa River? The one with the dark blue door?" Thinking hard, Rise finally remembered a creepy looking house, the one all those local ghost stories were centered around.

Naoto nodded.

"That is…wow. No wonder you're so indifferent. Rich people are too good with the poor people, hm?" Rise's tone dripped with sarcasm, her lips turned up into a smirk.

"Hmm…maybe you're right."For a moment, Naoto stayed silent, a reminiscent smile on his lips. "But…I'm here with you now, aren't I, Rise-san?"

"Hey! I find that offensive! Have you forgotten? I am Risette after all. I still get grouped in with the rich people too! I still have my own manager, my own private villa…" Rise made a face at Naoto, sticking out her tongue at the detective.

He chuckled, amused with her antics. "Haha, that's very mature of you, isn't it?"

"Of course it is." The redhead turned away with a huff, pouting.

Naoto was still laughing quietly to himself, but after a while, he calmed down, taking on a more serious tone. "But, honestly, Rise-san. Even if you were poor, I'd hate to be without you. You're the first real friend I've ever made, you know?"

Staring in awestruck silence, Rise gaped.

"It's true, so I really wanted to thank you for these past few months. It's been a lot of fun." Naoto rested against the bench, craning his neck to look up at the stars.

Rise looked up too, admiring the brightly shining stars above. "Ne, Naoto…You're not the one who should be thanking me. It was fun for me too. And I hope…" Rise started to trail off as she caught herself before she said those embarrassing words.

"What was that, Rise-san? I'm afraid I can't hear you." Naoto moved closer to her, straining his ears to catch what Rise said.

"I said…I hope…that we'll have many more days to spend together." Her cheeks were bright red now, her ears uncomfortably hot and Naoto's face was dangerously close to hers.

"It's a promise then." With a smile, Naoto extended his hand. Albeit confused, Rise shook the boy's hand warmly, again amazed by the softness of his skin.

Hands still intertwined, a silence enveloped the two. Rise inched closer to Naoto, their knees touching.

"Rise…?"

"Naoto-kun…I-I…I have something to tell you." The idol leaned in closer, her gaze wandering off to the side, her cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

Instinctively, Naoto leaned forward as well, his mind completely blank as he concentrated on Rise. Tension hung in the air, suffocating. His heart ached as every second passed, the blood drumming through his veins.

"I-I think I'm in love with you…"

At that moment in time, Naoto realized what he had been experiencing all this time. It was far deeper than friendship or admiration. It was love.

Suddenly, the two were rudely interrupted by a loud crackle in the air, as an explosion of coloured lights lit up the night sky. They shot up and scattered in all different directions, sparks falling in waves towards the ground. The light show continued, the burst of bright colors were vibrant against the dark backdrop. The festival grounds were fully illuminated.

He could see her smouldering eyes unwavering, serious. It wasn't a joke like Naoto had hoped. Speechless, his mouth opened and closed like a fish on land. He tried to think of a nice way to say it, to sugar-coat it, to lie, to think of something, but…

"I-I'm sorry. I c-can't."

His voice didn't seem like his own, the words hadn't even been processed through his mind. It was instinctive, the acceptable answer. Naoto knew he couldn't say anything else, because any other response would not be appropriate. It wouldn't even be possible.

_He was a sham, a liar._

"No, no…I should apologize. I can't believe I said it…" Rise shook her head, smiling sheepishly. "What was I thinking anyway?" She twirled a lock of hair around her finger nervously, turning away from Naoto. "It was stupid. I'm sorry. Just pretend I never said anything, okay?" She stood abruptly, walking away from the bench.

Naoto could hear the tears in Rise's voice, the shaking, and the cracking of her gentle soprano. It was breaking his heart. More rockets whistled into the air, filling the area with loud noises.

"Wait! Rise, please. Listen to me first." He closed the distance between them in two long strides, laying a hand on her shoulder, urging her to turn around to face him.

Reluctantly, Rise complied. She hastily wiped the tears off with the sleeves of her yukata. She couldn't meet Naoto's eyes, sniffling as she continued to sob. "I-I'm sorry. I-I don't know why I'm crying."

"Rise…believe me when I say this. I value you more than anything. I don't know why, but all I can think about is you…" Naoto took a deep breath, trying to compose his thoughts. "But I-we can't. It's better if you didn't get involved with me. It will only hurt you in the end." He reached for her hand, squeezing gently. "Please…"

"Naoto-kun…"

"I'll be leaving after this murder case has been solved, so please forget about me after that." He wanted to forget too. She was taking him over, changing him, making him fall irrevocably deeper in love with her.

If anything, Naoto was scared. Of his feelings and of her reactions when she finds out. Not 'if', but 'when'. It was only a matter of time if they continued on like this.

"No!" Rise shook her head. "How can you ask me to do that? How do you know? You haven't even tried, Naoto-kun." She flung her arms around him, burying her face in the crook of his neck. Naoto stiffened for a moment, but returned the embrace, rubbing her back soothingly.

He rested his chin on the crown of her head, a bitter smile on his lips. "I told you, Rise…It's…impossible."

"Will you tell me why at least…?" Her words were muffled into the fabric of Naoto's shirt.

"I'm sorry. I can't do that either…"

"T-then…" Rise detached herself from the boy for a minute, looking up with watery eyes. "Can you do one thing for me?" Her honey golden eyes sparkled in the light, pleading with him.

Naoto nodded.

The fireworks were starting to fade away, darkness shrouding the two once again.

Her voice. Rise's voice was trembling, but her words held their conviction. "If you give me a kiss, I'll give up on you."

The sensible part of him told him that he shouldn't, but his body was far more honest. Naoto leaned towards Rise, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. He held her close for a moment, brushing his lips against her ear, a low whisper escaping his throat. "If that's all it'll take, Rise." He cupped her cheek gently with his hand.

The redhead snaked her arms around his neck, pulling them closer as the distance between them disappeared. Their lips touched and Naoto lost all of his senses. Rise's lips were just so soft, her tears so sweet.

He closed his eyes and wished that this moment would never end.

* * *

**A/N:** I know I haven't been updating too often, but school's been hard. And I just recently tried to get over some witer's block =P however, by the quality of this chapter, I hope you won't think I'm on crack or anything. I'm just out of practice is all. Well, it's a longer chapter than usual to make up for the time I wasted.

Well, thanks to all those who are supporting me and still reading this. I hope you all enjoyed this and please review.


	7. Chapter 7

**The Idol and the Prince**

* * *

**Part VII

* * *

**

09/01

* * *

Rise hummed to herself as she lounged underneath the hot spray of water in the shower. The warmth cascaded down her body, relaxing her stiff shoulders. Closing her eyes, she drifted off, wishing that she could have slept a little more restfully last night.

Today was the first day of the new term and she couldn't help but feel giddy at the thought of seeing Naoto again. She _had_ been rejected in a way, but that only fuelled her to try harder to achieve her goal. It wasn't like it was hopeless. After all, he did give her that kiss, right? Rise blushed at the thought, thinking back two weeks as she recalled what happened at the end of their festival date. He was surprisingly gentle, but all the while so tense and hesitant.

The redhead shuddered pleasantly at the memory, a smile stretched across her lips. She was going to make sure Naoto would never be able to escape from her clutches.

Splashing her face with the warm water, Rise turned the faucet down, stepping out of the shower stall as she wrapped a towel around herself. Drying off, she walked over to the sink, wiping the steam off the foggy mirror. The redhead frowned at the sight of the dark circles around her eyes, leaning in closer to get a better look. The idol struck a pose, pouting her lips cutely. However, she still looked like something the cat dragged in. If only she didn't stay up slaving over a hot stove...

Rise sighed, reaching under the sink to find her blow-dryer. She plugged it into the outlet and had her hand resting on the switch when...

_Ding ding_

She peered over to the counter where her cell phone was sitting. Cautiously, she picked it up; a faint hope made her wish that it was Naoto.

_Good morning, Rise-san._

_I`m sorry to contact you so early, but I`m tied up with _

_work right now. Could you tell sensei that I won`t be in _

_for the morning classes?_

_I would really appreciate it. Thanks._

_-Shirogane Naoto_

"I would really appreciate it..." Rise giggled at the message, amazed at how Naoto could be so formal all the time.

Suddenly, she realized something about this that would throw a wrench into her plans. Not in for morning classes? Including lunch?

She had spent all night practicing her cooking skills, finally producing a delicious bento that was sure to seduce Naoto into her hold. He just had to make it back for lunch or everything she did last night would go to waste.

Frantically, the idol texted him back.

* * *

_Beepbeep_

Naoto felt the small vibration in his pocket and his heart nearly jumped into his throat. He pulled out his mobile, drumming his fingerson the table anxiously, staring at the electronic device.

"From your girlfriend, Shirogane-kun?" A snigger followed.

Naoto spun around, an indignant blush stained his cheeks. "Adachi-san. I would appreciate it if you did not make assumptions about my personal life." Turning back to his desk, Naoto shook his head and willed the blush away, wondering why on earth he was being so childish.

So what if it was Rise's reply?

Naoto scoffed, taking a deep breath before flipping open his phone as he checked his mail.

_I'm sad, Naoto-kun..._

_You're always so busy with work. I hope you won't_

_be too stressed._

_Try and make it back for lunch, kay? I have a _

_surprise for you._

_I'll be waiting at our usual spot. _

_~Rise_

"Our usual spot...." He smiled at that. Nothing was different, right? They would go back to being exactly as they were before the summer festival. He stared at the message again, feeling unease settle in his chest.

No matter how Naoto wanted this to be the truth, his heart pounded at the thought of seeing Rise. It seemed ridiculous, but Naoto had a feeling that he wouldn't be able to keep himself from kissing her again.

* * *

_Briiiiiiing_

The lunch bell finally rang and Rise was the first one out of the classroom. With her bag held tightly in her hands, she sprinted down the hall and up the stairs to the roof. Flinging the door open, Rise breathed in the fresh air and basked in the bright midday sun.

"Ahhh...What a nice day it is for a picnic." She stretched her arms, tired of being cooped up in that classroom all morning. She set her bag down by the ledge as she peered over the railing. Whipping out her phone, Rise was about to give Naoto-kun a call when suddenly...

_"Ahnnn..."_

Rise froze, hoping that wasn't what she thought it was. Not only was the sound very embarrassing, but the voice was quite familiar....

_"S-stop! Y-yuki-Ahnn..."_

The redheaded girl's jaw dropped. "Y-yuki...? No…It can't be."

The mystery voice, although more feminine than she remembered it...sounded awfully like a certain martial arts obsessed sempai of hers. Turning around slowly, Rise tried to pinpoint the source of her afternoon disturbance. It was coming from the metal shed covered the opening to the stairs.

_"I-I can't take it anymore! Yukiko!" _

Rise sighed, shaking her head in shame. It was no doubt that her suspicions were correct. Leaning over the railing, the idol let out a sigh, waiting for the sounds to die down. When she thought it to be safe, she ventured behind the metal shed, peeking around the corner.

The sight was certainly was a rare one indeed. Maybe too rare... It seemed like the perfect time. Rise tried to stop the temptation, but her hand wandered down to her pocket, where her cell phone was.

_-Click-_

Half covering her eyes, she addressed her sempai. "Konnichiwa, Chie-sempai. Yukiko-sempai...Having an early lunch?" Innocently enough, Rise's cheeks coloured a bright red at the sight of the two girls who were in a sorry state of dress.

Chie was flat on the floor, Yukiko straddling the girl with a very feral expression on her face.

"R-Rise-chan, It's a misunderstanding, really!" Yukiko scrambled off Chie, pulling up her torn pantyhose that was wrapped around her knees.

The idol almost felt faint as she watched the two girls scramble to put their clothes back on.

"R-Rise!" Chie attempted to cover herself as she clutched her blouse close, but Rise caught an eyeful of the girl's exposed assets. Eyeing the brunette, Rise noticed that the girl's figure really was very curvaceous. Then, as Chie attempted to sit up, Rise noticed that a pair of pink panties were strung around her ankles. The redhead attempted to fight the blush that rose to her cheeks, her body temperature becoming unbearably high.

"Sempai, I'm not saying this out of insolence, but as your friend." With a terribly annoyed expression on her face, Rise lectured her two upperclassmen as they scrambled about in embarrassment. "I-If you two are going to do such...indecent things...you might as well find a better spot to do it. Next time, you two might not be so lucky."

Standing up, Yukiko straightened her tie, dusting off her skirt. She cleared her throat, her cheeks still blazing red. "I'm very s-sorry that you had to see that, Rise-chan. W-we'll stop doing this at school..." Bowing politely, the slender girl offered her apologies.

"Stop doing this!?" Rise whispered heatedly under her breath, a kind of alarm registering in her mind as she realized the meaning behind Yukiko's words. Have they been doing this kind of thing all the time...? The idol turned three shades redder.

Beside her, Chie was picking her green jersey off the floor, her mouth drawn in a thin line and her face still layered with sweat, her cheeks flushed. A little breathlessly she apologized as well. "A-as Yukiko said...we're both very sorry..." The usually spunky girl was abnormally quiet now, her eyes averting Rise's gaze.

"U-uh...It's okay?" Rise was flabergasted, confused and so terribly disturbed in a way she just couldn't imagine. Coughing slightly to hide her embarrassment, she cleared her head.

An awkward silence descended and the three girls avoided each other's gazes, a defined blush on each of their cheeks.

"…Ne, Chie-sempai."

Chie looked up, slight panic clouded over in her eyes.

"Is the reason you always zip your jersey all the way up to the top....so that...you can hide all those hickies that Yukiko-sempai gives you?" The redhead held an evil glint in her eye, smirking as she asked her question.

"Y-y-you better stop that b-before I get mad, R-Rise-chan." Chie looked away as she put up her tough act, which wasn't working out too well.

Smiling sweetly, Rise cocked her head to one side. "I don't think you should be making threats, Chie-sempai. I do have pictures you know..."

The older girls were speechless, rooted to the spot by a sudden bout of fear.

"Y-you're...joking, right?"

Shaking her head, Rise took her phone out, scanning through the pictures until she came to one she personally found very incriminating.

"Ahh!" Yukiko leaned in close as she took a look at the blackmail material. "T-the details are so...clear." She gripped the phone, a strange expression in her eyes.

"What!?" Both Chie and Rise stared at Yukiko incredulously.

"Your camera's so high quality, Rise-chan. You can even see Chie's-mpff!"

Chie clamped a hand over Yukiko's mouth, dragging the girl away. "Uhh...Well, Rise-chan. I really do hope you're not going to do anything with those photos...We'll make it up to you somehow! Now, if you don't mind, we'll be going!" With a struggling Yukiko in her arms, Chie dashed down the stairs and back into the school.

Giggling at their antics, Rise thoroughly went through all her photos, deleting the evidence she had just archived. Contrary to what her sempai might think, she just wasn't that kind of person to exploit and manipulate others. Through means of blackmail of course.

Sighing, she walked over to the edge of the building, peering over the railing. She had learned many things today. About how Yukiko sempai really wasn't as innocent as she looked, how Chie sempai was more girly than she let off and how...cell phone cameras were oh so very convenient.

A lingering smile on her lips, Rise wondered when Naoto-kun would show up. He promised her that he would be here too...

* * *

Naoto struggled to catch his breath as he ran down the streets. Checking his watch, he was knew he was going to miss lunch if he didn't hurry.

"Rise...I hope you're not still waiting for me..." Panting, he propelled himself forward, the school finally coming into view. He pumped his legs harder, crossing the ashphalt courtyard in mere seconds. The detective barely paused at the doors as he burst through them, barreling through the halls despite the few stares he attracted. The warning bell had just rung, the hallways near empty.

Mounting the steps two at a time, the boy sprinted up the stairs to the top floor. At the top of the stairs, right before the large metal doors, he stopped. Naoto's lungs were on fire, sweat dripping from his face. Stripping off his blazer, the detective sat down on the landing, trying to catch his breath. He had never been so grateful for his morning jogs before, but now, he was simply satisfied with the fact that he had made it here in ten minutes. Naoto clutched a hand to his heart, feeling the pounding, the coursing of the blood through his body. The sound was so loud that it drowned out his thoughts.

Laying a hand on the doorknob, he hesitated before he opened the door. His pulse was off the charts now and not only because of the run he just finished. Pushing the door open, he closed his eyes for a minute, hoping that Rise was there. Holding his breath, he was blinded by the sun as he came out onto the roof.

Still panting, Naoto paused as he looked around. The roof was deserted, completely devoid of life. Letting out a sigh, the detective didn't know whether he was relieved or disappointed. Walking over to the railing, he leaned over it precariously, holding a hand to his hat as a cool breeze washed over him.

Shaking his head, he was thinking of going to class, but after finishing all 57 of those case reports in record time, and nearly sprinting to school from the precinct on the outskirts of town...he just wasn't in the mood. Turning around, he slid down against the railing, drawing his knees to his chest.

Suddenly, something in the corner of his eye caught his attention. It was a shade of red that was all too familiar.

_Rise?_

Bolting up, he walked over to the side of the stairs, where someone was sitting in the shade against the metal shed. Cautiously, he approached the person.

A strange sensation rippled through him as he recognized the sleeping girl. With her head lolling to one side, her eyes were closed and she was fast asleep. Naoto watched as her chest rose and fell with each slow breath; her arms slacked to her side. He smiled, reveling in her serene state.

Settling down beside the girl, Naoto wondered if he should wake her for afternoon classes, but he just couldn't muster up the courage to disturb the sleeping beauty.

"Naoto-kun..."

"R-Rise-san??" He jumped at her voice, but let out a sigh of relief as he realized she was still sleeping. Leaning back, Naoto took off his beloved hat, leaving it on the floor beside him as he brushed his hair back.

"What's wrong with me...?" He smiled brokenly as he tried to concentrate on the clouds that drifted by above him, but he couldn't. Rise's innocent expression, her slightly parted lips... Wait...did she...just say his name?

Naoto's face reddened all the way up to his ears as he looked away abruptly.

"Naoto..." Her voice trailed off dreamily.

He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to rid himself of the images that plagued his mind. He tried to resist the temptation as he thought about waking her, but instead, he stood, heading for the stairs. Taking one last look at Rise, Naoto hesitated.

He swallowed hard and cursed his willpower. Turning around, he muttered to himself, his resolve completely crumbling. He looked down at Rise, his fists clenched at his side as his thoughts ran rampant.

* * *

"Anh..." Rise groaned as she snuggled up against her soft pillow, a familiar scent flooding her senses. She frowned as she felt her source of warmth inching away, clutching onto the fabric for dear life as she drifted between her dreams and reality.

"Gah…"

The redhead stirred, her eyes fluttering open. The voice sounded really familiar. And uncomfortable.

"Ngh…The pillow's….all tense now…."

"R-Rise-san?"

"Naoto-kun?" Blinking repeatedly, Rise thought she was dreaming when she heard that unbelieveably soft tenor voice. She lay there, unmoving, revelling in her illusion.

"Uhh...are you awake, Rise-san?"

Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes groggily, letting out a yawn. "Ara…what are you doing in my bedroom, Naoto-kun?" The idol was still half asleep as she acted on impulse. "Could it be that you _want_ something….?" Rise lunged forward, wrapping her arms around Naoto's neck as she buried her face in the crook of his neck.

"H-hey! Rise! S-snap out of it! P-please!" Naoto struggled under her hold, trying to pry her off. However, the more the detective resisted, the tighter Rise hugged him. He could feel her soft lips against his neck, her generous assets pinning him to the spot. His face couldn't get any redder as he arched his neck to avoid Rise's wandering lips.

"Naoto-kun…" The redhead nestled closer to Naoto, loving the way his slender body felt against hers. However, as the boy continued to thrash about and yell frantically for her to stop, her mind started to clear up. Rise regained her awareness, noticing that Naoto's voice was incredibly close and sounding really…real.

"Ahh!" Suddenly, Rise pushed herself away from Naoto, her face flush with embarrassment. "W-what am I doing?" She inched away, hugging herself as she felt her skin tingle underneath her uniform.

"…" Naoto looked at her in silence, his face a messy portrait of mixed emotions. He cringed in terror, hoping that Rise was fully awake now and that she wouldn't come within a meter of him for a while. His mind was…sorting out some things.

"I'm so sorry, Naoto-kun! I-I really don't know what I was thinking…" The redhead laughed nervously as she waved her arms around frantically.

"I-It's okay! You were still half asleep anyway and it's not like you meant for all those things to happen and…and…" The boy trailed off, sulking at his sudden inability to articulate himself.

For a minute, the air became as thick as can be with an awkward tension. The two fidgeted and avoided each other's gaze as they kept quiet.

Suddenly, a rumble erupted and Rise looked up, shocked. She stared straight at Naoto, but the boy just lowered his head. Then, again the noise broke the silence and Rise couldn't help but crack a smile. She quickly clamped a hand over her mouth to stifle those giggles. It wasn't long before Naoto's stomach let out yet another cry and the redhead nearly fell over laughing.

"T-This isn't that funny, Rise-san!" Naoto clenched his fists, his face burning red like a tomato. He just wished he could crawl under a rock.

Waving the matter off, Rise giggled. "It's okay. We're even now, so let's both forget about today's little mishaps!" She smiled widely, her embarrassment fading as the situation lightened up.

"I-I guess…" The detective pouted, sulking quietly.

"Aw, c'mon, Naoto-kun. Cheer up! I bet you forgot, but I still have a surprise for you!" Bouncing around, Rise was as giddy as a love struck schoolgirl, which she was… She rummaged through her bag, pulling out a square package wrapped in pretty pink fabric.

"Umm…" Naoto looked at the bright and very girly color; hoping whatever was inside wasn't as pink as the outside. He stared at it apprehensively. "You know…my birthday isn't coming up anytime soon…"

"Silly Naoto! Of course I know that! Your birthday's on April 27th, right? This is something entirely different. Just open it!" Holding out the covered box, Rise smiled invitingly, trying to coax Naoto's worries away.

Trying to ignore the fact that Rise knew some personal details about him, Naoto took the girl up on her offer and undid the ribbon. "Bento?" He stared down at the small rectangular box, warm in his hands.

"Mh hmm." Rise nodded proudly. "I made it myself!"

"Just for me…?" The boy arched an eyebrow at that, making Rise fidget under his stare.

"O-of course not! I-I was just thinking of making some lunch for Souji-sempai, but I'm not very confident with my cooking skills, so…so…I was wondering if you could sample it for me?" The idol fidgeted with the hem of her skirt, looking up at Naoto with a cute pout and pleading eyes.

He looked away abruptly, unable to resist Rise's idol charms. "S-sure, I'll try it out." He opened the box, a wonderful smell wafting up from the colourful lunchbox. Fluffy omelettes, perfect friend rice and octopus shaped sausages. Naoto blushed. It seemed exactly like the lunch that Rise would prepare. It was cute.

She held out a pair of chopsticks and Naoto took them with a smile, digging into the bento that was already making him salivate. He gulped down a mouthful of rice, his taste buds awash with a myriad of tastes. It was salty, sweet…sour….bitter….and terribly spicy. The detective paused for a moment, coughing slightly.

"So, how is it…?" Rise looked on expectantly, her eyes glistened with anticipation.

"It's…" He swallowed the last bit, trying to manage a smile. The spices were overwhelming, the mix of flavours were making him a little...sick. The food was absolutely…

"Delicious!" The detective forced a grin, wiping off the sweat beading on his forehead.

"Ahh…I'm so relieved! I stayed up all night trying to make something edible. I'm so glad it turned out okay."

"Y-yes. I'm glad too." He knew it wasn't a good idea, but he prepared himself for another round, picking up the chopsticks in his shaking hands.

"Oh, by the way, Naoto-kun, sensei gave us some information on the school trip next week. We're going to Tatsumi Port Island! Aren't you excited? It's going to be so much fun." Rise squealed like a little girl, closing her eyes as she imagined all the fun things she and Naoto could do at night. At night… She blushed, shaking her head to dispel those horrible thoughts.

"T-That sounds fun…" His voice was a little weaker now, shaky.

"Ne, Naoto-kun, are you alright? You sound kinda…"

"I-I'm fine! Just fine…" Naoto took another bite, feeling his stomach turn over.

Suddenly, the boy was feeling faint as he left the bento half eaten. His head was spinning and he felt extremely nauseous. As his grip slacked on the container and the pair of chopsticks, he fell backwards, knocking his head on the concrete. The pain resounded in his skull, jumbling up his senses.

Everything went black and the detective lost consciousness, Rise's frantic screams echoing in his ears. He wished that he wasn't such a nice guy.

* * *

**A/N**: I know I did plan for this chapter to come out before the end of June, but it's just been sitting in my folders for months now, but it's here now. Kinda rushed and lightly edited. Sorry for mistakes and the such.

It's been a long time since I've updated anything...Sorry for the long wait. This chapter is kinda filler, so I apologize. I promise that next chapter, the drama will really start! Promise ._. School trip, right? Hang on till then. Hopefully, chapter eight will come out by the end of July.

Thanks for reading and please review!


	8. Chapter 8

**The Idol and the Prince**

* * *

**Part VIII**

* * *

09/09

* * *

"Hehe…ne, Rise-chan, you're practically famous now for your cooking." Yousuke nudged the idol as he chuckled to himself.

"I-I find that offensive!" Rise pouted, latching onto the more stoic Seta Souji beside her. The idol turned on the waterworks, putting on her best face for her most favourite sempai since he always took her side… "Souji-sempai! _You_ won't be a jerk like Yousuke-sempai...right?"

"Hey, hey! I'm not being mean. Just telling the truth!" He grinned widely, still laughing. "You know, they're still talking about how you 'tried to kill' Naoto with your cooking."

Burying her face in Souji's sleeve, Rise let out a muffled cry. "I know! Don't you think I feel bad enough…?"

"Well, you don't have to feel _that_ bad Rise-chan. You're actually doing him a favour since he did miss that super boring lecture at Gekko-kou-gecko….whatever high. I bet he's having a better time at the hospital." He sniggered.

"Naoto-kun got discharged the day before the trip…so I expected him to come…but I didn't see him yesterday at _Gekkoukan_." Rise stared Yousuke down, wondering why he was acting so immature.

"Hey, don't worry. I'm sure that even if he was feeling better, he wouldn't come on the trip anyway. He's so stuck up after all. Thinks he's smarter than everyone else just because he's a detective…Stupid guy's probably got some mental issues." He scoffed, crossing his arms as he wandered the spacious lobby. Naoto wasn't his favourite person. Especially not after that little incident with him trying to take advantage of Rise and all. He grimaced at the thought.

"Yousuke-sempai...could you please stop talking about Naoto-kun that way?" Rise furrowed her brows, giving her sempai a disgusted look.

He upturned his hands in a carefree way, sighing. "Why do you care? It's not like-"

"Just stop it, okay? I don't know what's wrong with you today, but I don't think you have the right to say such things." The idol fumed, her fists clenched at her sides.

"I..." Yousuke stiffened up at her tone, catching his tongue. "Sorry…I guess I went overboard..." he trailed off, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he sulked off, making his way to the couches in the front reception.

Rise glared daggers at Yousuke's retreating figure, her blood pressure climbing off the charts. "I'm gonna try and find Yukiko-sempai and Chie-sempai, okay?" Rise finally let go of Souji, giving him a small wave before dashing off to the elevators.

Souji waited until Rise left, making his way over to Yousuke who was throwing a hissy fit by the waiting area.

"Agh, mou…." Yousuke grabbed tufts of his hair, growling in frustration. "I was hoping to have some fun tonight! But Rise's just gotta be so sensitive about everything and those other guys were supposed to be here twenty minutes ago!" He threw his hands up in exasperation, settling back down as he shook his head, disappointed. "I hope tonight won't end up a disaster…"

"Huh?" The brunette cocked an eybrow at Souji's disapproving sigh. "W-what do you mean I should have been nicer?"

The silver haired boy shook his head, ashamed of Yousuke's actions.

"You know, it's not my fault Rise's completely obsessed with Naoto! She's practically stalking him the way she follows him around…spending night after night looking up his number too…"

"…"

"Hey! I-It's not like I'm jealous or anything!"

"..."

* * *

Rise let out a sigh of relief as she finally had some space to herself. The elevator was suffocating and kinda creepy, but it was better than being in the hotel lobby. Yousuke was getting on her nerves way too much these days…Why couldn't he be a little quieter like Souji-sempai?

Watching as the numbers continued to climb on the lighted display, Rise pouted. This school trip was supposed to be more fun, but it hadn't turned out at all like she had expected. Especially since Naoto-kun wasn't here…

"I'm so sorry, Naoto-kun…It's all my fault you ended up in the hospital..." She could feel the tears prick at the corner of her eyes and suddenly, she was feeling a tad emotional. The idol really wanted to apologize, but Naoto had been registered in a private room that didn't allow visitors.

_Ding_

The elevator doors slid open and Rise stepped out into the hallway. Sighing, she hung her head as she walked, feeling her enthusiasm fade. Sudenly, she froze as she heard hushed voices coming from the end of the hall. Peering down the corridor, Rise could make out a tall figure with…bleached white hair?

Without a doubt, it was Kanji. With his sleeveless shirts and gangster style, anyone could pick him out in a lineup. However, there was another person beside him. A shorter figure, slender…and that hat... Rise gasped, bringing her hands up to cover her mouth. It was Naoto and his trademark detective hat. He should have been back in Inaba, resting up, but what was he doing here in Port Island, talking to Kanji? The idol couldn't explain it, but a sudden surge of jealousy erupted in her and she had an inkling that Kanji was trying to put the moves on Naoto.

She sidled against the wall, trying to make herself as inconspicuous as possible while moving closer to the two boys. They spoke in hushed tones and the green eyed monster reared its ugly head in the girl. Suddenly, their conversation stopped and they both turned towards her direction. And stared straight at her.

"Rise-san?" Naoto was surprised to see her to say the least.

"H-hi there, you two…" Rise laughed nervously, disappointed that her brilliant plan had failed.

"Y-yo…" Kanji was beet red, averting Rise's gaze as his eyes stayed glued to the ground. He shuffled his feet awkwardly, looking completely harmless at the moment.

"What are you doing here?" The detective looked rather miffed, his tone of voice was different from how Rise remembered it. His blue eyes were unreadable, his expression stone cold.

Rise shrunk back, feeling a chill run up her spine. Was it too late to apologize? He still must have been angry about the food poisoning...

"W-well, I was just going to get Yukiko-sempai and Chie-sempai from their room…" She smiled innocently, wringing her hands behind her back.

"This is the ninth floor, you know…? Where the boys' rooms are?" Naoto raised his eyebrows sceptically, looking at Rise as if she were the culprit in some kind of crime. Which…he might have viewed her as, since she did incapacitate him for a week.

"Oh. Ahaha…My bad! Umm….I'll see you sometime later then." She turned to Kanji, who raised his head embarrassedly. "You better get down to the lobby, Kanji-kun. Yousuke-sempai's getting tired of waiting!" Waving, she dashed down the hallway, jamming the down button furiously with her finger.

The doors suddenly slid open with a chime and the idol hurried inside. However, her cheeks turned bright red as she stepped into the elevator. Much to her dismay, a young couple were heatedly engaged in something they should have saved for their room. Rise hurried to escape her nightmare, but the door glided shut right in front of her.

"Shi…" She bit her lip, trying to ignore the sounds of the oblivious lovers behind her. She cringed at each breathless moan, at each rustle of clothing. After what seemed like an enternity, the elevator finally arrived on the eleventh floor and Rise ran out, her face ghost white. "Why…why do I keep walking into these weird situations…?"

Walking along the side of the hall, she counted the numbers until she came to 1032, the room that Chie and Yukiko shared. It was just a stroke of luck, but her upperclassmen had the room to themselves unlike all the other people on this trip. The two other girls who were supposed to room with them couldn't make the trip for some reason.

Pounding on the entrance, Rise pressed her ear against the wooden door, listening for signs of life in the room. Not much to her surprise, she caught wind of awfully loud noises. She wondered if everyone else on this floor was deaf or something…

"Sempai!" Rise knocked louder, sighing out of exasperation. Whipping out her phone, she dialled Yukiko's number, hearing the ringing from the other side of the door. It just kept ringing and ringing…and ringing…and finally…

"H-hello...?"

Letting out a huff of anger, Rise yelled into the receiver. "Yukiko-sempai, you better get out here right this minute! Or those pictures are going to go public on my blog. I'm seriously gonna do it." The idol tapped her foot impatiently, frowning.

Suddenly, the line went dead and she could hear frantic footsteps appraoching the door. The door swung open and Yukiko stood there, her hair completely dishevelled, a white towel clutched to her bare front. "R-Rise-chan, just give us ten minutes, okay? W-we'll be right down."

The idol hesitated for a moment, but gave in to the girl's wishes. "Fine." The redhead sighed again, turning around as she skulked back to the elevator. Almost immediately, the door slammed shut and there was no doubt that what Yukiko was doing in that room was what love hotels were built for.

Getting on the elevator for the third time now, Rise's mood circled the drain. The metal doors swung open and she stepped in, coming face to face with the boy who was the cause of all her mixed emotions.

"Naoto-kun…"

"Rise-san." He smiled at her warmly, completely different from the Naoto she had encountered just minutes ago.

"Umm...I-I thought you were angry at me…" Rise was wide mouthed as the elevator started to move.

"Angry? Why?" The detective looked more than just a little confused.

"Because…when you were with Kanji, you seemed...annoyed at me?" She took a step closer to him, her eyes full of anxiety and confusion.

"I'm so sorry, Rise-san. I didn't mean for it to come out like that. I was…on edge. Tatsumi-san was talking to me about some strange things. I was little confused about…" He trailed off.

"Oh…so this has nothing to do with the fact that I fed you food that passed as toxic waste?" She twirled a lock of her hair around her finger, her eyes darting around nervously as she averted Naoto's gaze.

"No, no! Your cooking was…it was good. Please don't worry about that." He smiled genuinely at her, trying to cheer the girl up.

"You're such a liar, Naoto-kun!" She pushed him playfully, giggling at his words. "You can tell me the truth, you know? I won't get mad."

"Your cooking isn't bad, just needs some improvement. You're an amateur after all, right?." Again, he smiled that smile that made Kujikawa Rise swoon and lose her senses.

"You're being too nice to me, Naoto-kun!" Rise stepped even closer to the detective, poking him square on the nose as she let out a laugh.

Naoto filled the elevator with his laughter too, feeling unbelievably at ease now. Placing his hand on Rise's head, he ruffled her hair slightly, chuckling. "You know, I'm not as nice as you think I am."

"Aw c'mon, cut the act! I know you well enough by now!" The idol batted his hands away, an wide grin stretched across her lips.

Suddenly, the elevator came to a jolting stop, jostling the two inside. Losing her balance, Rise tumbled forward, crashing into Naoto who held out his hands to catch her.

"Oof!" He braced the impact, getting sandwiched between the wall and a flustered Rise. They were locked in a half embrace and neither of them motioned to move away.

The redhead became terribly quiet, her cheeks flaring as she clutched Naoto's sleeves.

"R-rise..?"

Her voice dropped just below a whisper. "Naoto-kun…I…"

The elevator dinged and Rise snapped out of her daze, letting go of Naoto. "S-sorry 'bout that! I-I've gotta go now. I-I'll see you later!" Without so much as a backwards glance, Rise rushed out, dying of embarrassment.

Rooted to the spot, Naoto's heart was still pounding hard in his chest, his breath coming in short gasps. The strength in his legs had been completely sapped and he slid to the ground against the wall.

"You know me well enough by now, huh…?"

The door slid shut and he was left alone in the elevator.

* * *

"Okay! Now that our party's all here, where are we headed, Rise-chan?" Yousuke flashed the idol a thumbs-up, smiling insanely.

"I was thinking that we go to a popular nightclub. It's at the mall." Rise smiled, having completely forgotten how Yousuke had acted earlier. She led the way as the group made their way down the dark street, her mind filled with nothing more than the feel of Naoto's arms around her.

"A-a nightclub??" Yukiko's mouth was wide open, clutching Chie's arm tightly. "We don't have those kinds of places in Inaba, so I wonder if it'll be interesting." The black haired beauty laughed cheerfully, excited about these new escapades.

"You know, they don't have love hotels either back home…" Chie had a pleasant smile on her face. She leaned in close, whispering in Yukiko's ear as the girl giggled uncontrollably.

"Aww man…those two sure are close. If they weren't so pretty, I'm sure we'd be able to sweep them off their feet, hm?" Yousuke whispered to Souji, trying to keep his voice down, but Rise caught every word. She sighed, hoping Yousuke wasn't going to pollute Souji with such appalling guy talk.

"Ne, Chie-chan!" Teddie came up behind Chie, grabbing her arm playfully as he pounced on the girl. "When are we going to go on that date you promised me?"

"Huh…? Date? Since when…" The brunette wracked her brain and suddenly it all came back to her. "Oh yeah…I promised you that we'd go out sometime."

"Yeah! That's why I worked so hard to get here from Inaba!" The blonde boy pouted, gripping Chie's hand as he looked up with his sparkling blue eyes.

"H-Hey! How come I've never heard of this?" Trying to hide her jealousy, Yukiko grabbed Chie's other arm, holding the girl possessively.

"Is it okay with Yuki-chan and Rise-chan too?" Teddie looked expectantly at the two other girls.

"N-No!" Yukiko was shaking with anger. _Her_ Chie-chan going on a date with this stuffed animal? It was unheard of.

"C-calm down, Yukiko…I'm sure it's not what you think." Chie laughed nervously, trying to stop Yukiko's from mauling Teddie. The Japanese beauty was not one to let her anger get the best of her, but recently, she was strangely overprotective...and aggressive and…many other things.

"Sounds like a good idea! Let's all go out together sometime." Rise flashed her brightest smile at the blonde and he jumped up and down like a little boy.

"Wheee!"

"Gosh…Teddie gets all the girls…What about us good looking guys, huh, Kanji? Souji?" Yousuke sighed, wondering how he could lose to a guy who wore a bear suit most of the time.

"Uhh…I guess I don't really mind…" Kanji scratched his chin, not at all focused on Yousuke's voice. He looked preoccupied, his thoughts centered on a certain detective.

Rise noticed Kanji's awkward silence and couldn't help but feel uneasy. She just wouldn't forgive herself if Kanji did anything to Naoto. After all, if Risette lost Naoto to that a guy that sewed and probably cooked better than her...it would be a terrible blow to her confidence.

* * *

The air was thick with the smell of alcohol and smoke. On stage, the band blasted their music through the speakers, the dance floor packed with sweaty bodies jammed in tightly together.

"Whoa…! T-This is a nightclub? I've never seen anything like it…" Kanji stared at the people in the room, amazed at the incredibly electrifying but suffocating atmosphere.

"Whoo! I'm totally ready for this!" Chie pumped her fist in the air, a sudden excitement overcoming her.

"H-hey, that's a bar over there, right? Could we get drinks?" Yukiko was having trouble keeping the enthusiasm down in her voice, shaking Chie as she pointed to the crowd of people standing around a small counter.

The group buzzed with excitement, talking excitedly as they decided what to do from here on out. Suddenly, a voice broke into their overlapping coversations.

"Is it permitted for high school students such as yourselves to be here?" His tone was as indifferent as always, coming off as slightly arrogant and mocking. The group turned towards the spiralling stairs, but all seven of them were in for a shock as they spotted a familiar figure coming down the steps.

"What! Look who's talking! You were here before we were!" Yousuke gave the blue haired boy a hostile look, scoffing. "I thought you were still in the hospital too…"

"How very generous of you to worry about me, Hanamura-san." Naoto matched Yousuke's tone, wondering what he had done to receive such a cold reception.

Rise nudged Yousuke in the ribs, flashing him a cold glare. "Ow!"

"The clientele seems above-board, so I don't expect there will be any problems." With that, Naoto turned towards the entrance and started to make his way out.

However, Rise grabbed him before he could get any further, keeping a tight hold on his arm. "Y-You're leaving already?" The idol tried to keep the desperation down in her voice, but no matter how good her acting was, she wasn't able to hide her feelings.

"Why don't you join us?" Yukiko piped in behind Rise, giving the detective a wide smile.

Taken aback, Naoto's eyes were wide open. "Are you asking me to stay?"

"Mh hm. We didn't get to chat last time." Again, with that hostess hospitality, the Amagi Inn heir made Naoto feel less victimized by the somewhat jealous Yousuke.

"Last time…" Naoto thought back, wondering…Suddenly, his cheeks flared with embarrassment. It couldn't have been…the time where they found him and Rise in a very compromising position...could it…? "I-I had some matters to attend to that day!"

"But you're free now, right?" Rise laced her fingers through Naoto's giving his hand a light squeeze. "I'm really eager to talk to you again." She hit him with her best smile, making the butterflies in the detective's stomach flutter like they had seizures.

"So how about it?" It was Yukiko again, sounding genuinely interested in having Naoto's company. "I've always been curious how someone my age could become a detective."

"Hmm. Very well, if you insist." He tipped his hat down a little lower, trying to make the blush on his cheeks disappear.

"Huh? What's up? You look a little red." Yousuke chuckled as he spotted Naoto's reaction to Rise's sudden hand holding.

"T-That's not true!" Naoto huffed, his face turning even redder at the comment.

Rise giggled at the effects of Yousuke's teasing. "Just wait here, you guys. I'll go and reserve the area upstairs for us." She skipped off, her mood noticeably improved from the last hour.

* * *

"Wow. I feel so v.i.p." Chie sat down on the velvet couch beside Yukiko, looking around the deserted loft. It was a lot more comfortable than the dance floor below, the air much clearer. Chie drummed her fingers along with the muffled music that droned on downstairs. "This is really nice and all, but are you sure this is okay? Isn't it expensive?"

"Yeah…we're the only ones here…and we've got drinks too." Yousuke suddenly looked guilty, hoping Rise didn't put any money into this. The table was full of exotic looking drinks and small side dishes.

"No worries. The owner of this place owes me for a gig that got cancelled because of a power outage. So they're willing to put this one on the house." Rise gave the group a reassuring smile as she took a sip of her colourful drink.

"If that's the case, I'm gonna order the entire menu!" Teddie cackled, laughing like Yukiko during one of her laughing fits.

"Yo…you sound even weirder today…" Kanji cringed, shaking his head.

"Kanji…Kanji… I Kanj-ecture that something's up! Hehehehe! That's a good one!" Teddie rolled over laughing, downing another one of those beverages on the low table.

"Pfttt! T-That's so funny! Hahahahaha! Kanj-ecture!" Yukiko slapped her knee, guffawing in the very Yukiko way that everyone was used to, but something was still off…

"Hey…she's loosern' usual too…" Kanji eyed Yukiko carefully, hoping that his suspicions weren't anywhere near the mark.

Chie shook her head, sighing. "How many of these things did you just drink, Yukiko?"

"W-wait a minute…are these alcoholic?" Yousuke took a sip for himself, wrinkling his nose at the taste. He sighed. "I can't believe you guys are already wasted."

"H-Hey!" Rise poked Yousuke hard on his arm, swaying a bit back and forth. "F-for your information, I told them to give us soft drinks. They're non-alcoholic!" The idol was looking a little disoriented, her cheeks a rosy hue. Suddenly, she fell backwards, landing on Naoto who was sitting to her right.

"R-Rise-san, are you all right?" Naoto squirmed as Rise snuggled up against his chest. That was a potential danger zone, so the detective was trying his best to push Rise away. However, she clawed at him, feeling him up in the process.

"I told them! I really did, Naoto-kun! Don't you believe me?" She flailed around drunkenly, latching her arms around his neck as she hung off the young boy.

"I-I believe you!" The detective caved in without another word, but the idol refused to let go.

Whispering quite desperately, Naoto tried to get Rise to stop touching him in weird places. "Ne, R-Rise-san…Please let go…I'll let you…wear my hat later if you let go now." Mentally, he slapped himself, wondering where on earth that suggestion even came from. Now that he thought about it…he took a couple swigs of the liquor too. Maybe he was a lightweight just like the rest of them?

To his surprise, Rise suddenly perked up. "Okay! Whatever you say Naoto-kuuun." She ran a finger across his jaw line, making the detective cringe. "Only if you promise. We'll take pictures too, kay?" She blew him a kiss and sat up properly again.

Yousuke felt a tinge of jealousy well up within him as he witnessed the exchange between the idol and the prince. He was sitting next to Rise too, so why did she have to be all over that poor excuse for a guy…? He was so feminine, totally didn't fit Risette's image. Yousuke read her profile blog and she liked tall guys, not midgets like Naoto. The detective was barely taller than her! He growled in frustration.

Suddenly, Rise sprung up, her half empty glass in hand. "King's Gaaaaaaame!"

Everyone there stopped what they were doing and stared at Rise like she had grown two heads. Naoto sighed, hoping that he wasn't going to get involved in something stupid tonight. Oh no, scratch that. He already did.

"In situations like these, adults play the king's game!" Rise raised her glass to the ceiling, swaying dangerously on her feet. Then, suddenly, she took on a more sombre tone, her lips drawn in a frown. "Seriously…what's their problem? They make me act like a ditz and then say I'm a kid…It's so obvious that those cast parties get a lot wilder after I go home!"

The idol was on the verge of tears and Naoto reached out a hand, trying to calm the girl. "Rise…why don't you sit-"

She clenched her fists and flailed her arms around as she stomped her foot angrily. The redhead pointed an accusing finger at the ceiling, shouting at the top of her lungs. "Morooons! I'm gonna play the king's game now and no one's gonna stop me!" She cackled like a mad witch, spilling the contents of her glass every which way.

Wiping a drop of Rise's drink off his face, Yousuke sighed. "Yet another side of Rise exposed…I wonder if she knows what she's saying…"

Rise gave Yousuke a dirty glare and turned back to Kanji and barked orders at the poor boy. She still had to get revenge on him somehow for making Naoto act all weird. "Kanji! Get the chopsticks ready!"

"Wha-? Why me? Yousu-" Kanji started, but recoiled as Rise started pointing fingers at him, her voice getting louder.

"The King's word is law! Chop-chop or off goes your head!!" Rise made a slicing action as she stared at Kanji with some unknown fury burning in her eyes.

"Ahh…so she's an angry drunk, huh?" Yousuke gave Souji a look, shaking his head in disappointment.

* * *

Rise was frantically coloring and writing numbers on the chopsticks Kanji so obediently fetched for her, chuckling evily to herself.

"S-so…what's this King's Game again?" Chie asked innocently, hoping she wasn't the only one out of the loop here.

"I know! I know!" Yukiko jumped up and down in her seat, her cheeks flushed a bright red. "Okay…one chopstick makes you the King if you draw it, and the others have numbers on 'em… The King picks a number and tells them what to do, but who has which number is a secret until the King gives the orders!" Yukiko ended her explanation as she tumbled over laughing, leaning on Chie as sniggered uncontrollably.

"That's exactly right!" Rise beamed as she held the chopsticks in her hand.

Chie looked at Yukiko incredulously, learning something about her girlfriend she never would have expected. "Y-Yukiko!? Where'd you learn this stuff!?" Suddenly blushing, Chie wondered if that was where Yukiko learned all those…techniques from…

Thrusting her hand out into the middle of the table, Rise commanded everyone to do her bidding. "C'mon, everyone draw!"

Everyone seemed a little suspicious of this game except for the three people whose bravery was strengthened considerably by the liquid courage. Yukiko sniggered as she peeked at her number, Rise smiled lopsidedly and Teddie jumped up and showed everyone his chopstick.

"Teddie's is red! Red! Is Teddie the King!?" He bounced up and down excitedly, looking eagerly at everyone around him.

"Ugh…Why him of all people…? We're already doomed form the get-go…" Yousuke groaned, burying his face in his hands.

"Ahem!" The blonde cleared his throat, speaking in very King-like manner. "I, the King command thee to smooch the King without delay!"

"Smooch!?" Everyone stared at Teddie, their eyes wide.

He struck a pose, throwing his stick down onto the table dramatically. "C'mon! Give me a pretty girl! Number 6!"

"What!" Naoto stood up abruptly, his face beet red as he stared at the number he held in his shaking hands.

"I-I meant number 5!" Teddie quickly changed his option.

"H-Hey! No take-backs!" Yousuke's cheeks were flushed a light pink, shaking his fist at the bear.

Teddie sighed, putting a hand over his heart. "A bear's chastity…Naoto-kun, I may not know you very well, but let's get along starting now!" The blonde motioned to move closer, but Naoto dashed around the table, standing beside Souji who had the end seat on the couch.

"D-Don't you dare come near me!" Naoto reached for the pistol at the side of his waist, resting his hand on it as he popped the safety switch.

As Teddie chased Naoto around, Rise sobered up slightly, pouting her lips and feeling jealous of that skirt chasing bear. Kanji, as well, was becoming very green eyed, wishing to have the privilege of tasting the Detective Prince himself.

"Hey, you! Come 'ere!" Teddie leapt at Naoto, his lips puckered.

"Ahhh!" Naoto closed his eyes, dodging the flying projectile coming at him.

"Naotooo!" Kanji came out of nowhere, pushing Naoto out of Teddie's warpath. The big gangster was tackled to the ground, "Ow! Hey, not me! Ngh! H-Heeeelp!"

"Okay! That's the end of round one and two contestants are already out of the game!" Ignoring Kanji's screams, Rise continued on with the event, collecting and redistributing the chopsticks again.

Chie bit her lip as she drew one, peeking at the number '7' scrawled on the end of her chopstick. Little did she know, Yukiko snuck a glance at Chie's number, cackling to herself as she unveiled the red end of the chopstick to everyone. Yukiko stood up, looking very sobered up, but burst into laughter once she started talking. "Haha…Looks like I'm King, right? Ahaha!"

Sitting on the end, Yousuke grumbled to himself, hoping Yukiko was going to be a better King than Teddie. The odds weren't very good, since she was doubled over with laughter right now…

"Okay! The King decrees that number '7' will let me hug them." Yukiko smiled innocently.

Naoto sighed, relieved that the girl's request was normal enough for him. On the other hand, Rise booed, cheering for some more 'hardcore' stuff.

"So, who's number seven?" Yousuke asked, losing interest in the game where the hot girls were destined not fall into his hands.

"I-I'm number seven." Chie raised her hand timidly, a bad feeling creeping up on her. She motioned to stand, but Yukiko roughly pushed her back down.

"Just stay seated." Yukiko gave Chie a small wink and the petite brunette swallowed. Hard. Moving deliberately slowly, Yukiko smoothed out her skirt as she took a seat on Chie's lap, winding her hands around the other girl's neck as she gave her a tight hug.

Yousuke's eyes popped out of their sockets, shocked at the daring move Amagi Yukiko made. "Y-Yukiko-san!?"

"How else would you hug someone who's sitting down? Teehee." Yukiko looked at Yousuke, that same innocent smile on her lips as she explained her reasoning.

"I-I was going to stand up you know!?" Chie turned an even brighter shade of red as Yukiko started trailing her lips across her collarbone. Her voice squeaked an octave higher as she protested. "Y-Yukiko!? H-Hasn't it been long enough!?? C-Could you let me-"

Yukiko silenced Chie effectively as she pressed a kiss to her prince's lips. The three boys in the room sat there with their mouths agape, staring as Yukiko began to straddle Chie properly, kissing the girl senseless.

A fountain of blood spurted from Yousuke's nose and he ran to the bathroom with something more than just his nosebleed to take care of. The ones left sitting stock still on the couch were Seta Souji and Shirogane Naoto.

As Souji crossed his legs awkwardly, Naoto tore his virgin eyes away from the sight, trying to fill his mind with something else, something pure and innocent. All of a sudden, he glimpsed pink and his head snapped back towards the two girls on the couch. Stuttering, he tugged Rise's sleeve, his face bright red. "R-R-Rise! D-Did Amagi-sempai just take off her top!??"

"Okay! Now, we're moving onto the third and final round!" Rise completely ignored Naoto, clapping her hands together for applause. "After this decisive round of the King's Game, the winner will be chosen!"

"T-There can be a winner…?" Naoto smiled weakly, hoping the night would end soon. He loosened a couple of buttons on his shirt, downing yet another one of those sweet tasting drinks. It was getting quite hot in here and Naoto hoped it wasn't just him.

Drawing his chopstick for the third and hopefully final time of his life, Naoto drew a '2'. "S-so who's the King this time?"

As silently as ever, Souji raised his hand, showing the red mark on his chopstick. After a very long time, Naoto heard the stone cold voice of Seta Souji for the first time. And the words he spoke made the detective stop in his tracks. "Number one has to kiss me."

Naoto cringed. If he was number two, then Rise had to be number one… It was a feeling he couldn't quite put his finger on, but his stomach did summersaults, his heart jumped into his throat. "Rise-san…" The emotion surged through him, making him feel light headed.

"Ne, sempai…I'm kinda dizzy, so would you come over here instead…?" Rise slurred drunkenly, motioning for Souji to come over to their side. Obediently, the boy agreed, getting up and making his way over.

With every step Souji took, Naoto could feel his breath hitch in his throat. Rise…was going to kiss him?

Souji sat on Rise's left, leaning forward as he cupped her cheeks gently, closing his eyes…

"Stop!" Naoto lunged forward from behind Rise, socking Seta Souji right in the face. The older boy fell backwards onto the couch, clutching his bleeding nose.

Naoto stood, his eyes glazed over, his fists still shaking with anger. Turning, he ran down the stairs, his dignity in shambles. He could hear Rise calling after him, but he just continued on and out the front doors. Taking in a deep breath, Naoto brushed his hair back, feeling the AC wash over his flushed cheeks. It was quiet out here in the deserted mall, but his silent reprieve was short as a voice called out to him.

"N-Naoto!" The doors opened and Rise stumbled out. Nearly losing her balance, her foot caught on the edge of the door and she was sent sprawling forward.

Luckily, Naoto dashed forward, catching Rise in his arms before she met the asphalt below. The two stood there in silence, just like earlier tonight, but emotions were running high, the tension slowly rising.

"L-Looks like you're always coming to my rescue, Naoto-kun…" Rise straightened up, snaking her arms around Naoto's waist as she hugged him close to her.

Shakily, he reciprocated the action, resting his hands on her lower back. "I…It's nothing." Taking a slow breath, he continued. "It's what anyone would've done…"

"Punching Souji-sempai in the face too…? Is that what _anyone_ would do?" Naoto could feel her lips quirk up into a smirk through the sleeve of his shirt, relieved that she wasn't angry. Rise seemed to have sobered up miraculously, leaving just the smell of alcohol lingering on her lips. "Why did you do it…?"

"I just…It was-" He suddenly stopped, furrowing his brows in frustration. "I don't know."

Rise patted Naoto's back soothingly, hugging Naoto tighter as she shivered slightly at the drastic change in temperature. "I know there's something bothering you…but you don't have to keep it all to yourself. You can always tell me." She hesitated for a minute before she added. "A-After all, that's what friends are for, right?"

"We're...friends...?" Naoto's hold on Rise slacked, his arms dropping slightly.

"Of course we're friends..." Rise tensed up, feeling the shift in the atmosphere, in Naoto's mood.

"I-I can't do this anymore." Naoto pushed Rise away gently, holding the girl at arm's length. "I...I can't be around you anymore." He had to put a stop to this, to stop this torture.

"W-what do you mean?" Rise laughed nervously, hoping she wasn't hearing what she thought she was hearing. "Y-You're not serious, are you?"

"I'm sorry, Rise." He stood there, his head turned to the side. Rise had never seen him with a more solemn expression on his face.

"H-Have I done something wrong? Something to make you angry?" Rise stagerred forward, clutching the fabric of Naoto's shirt frantically, panic arising in her eyes.

"You've done nothing wrong. I'm the one who has problems." His voice trembled slightly.

"I-I'm not who you think I am."

"It doesn't matter to me. No matter what, you'll always be the same Naoto-kun to me..." Rise looked up at the boy, tears welling up in her eyes. There was only sincerity in her tone, her eyes, her entire being. That was why she was so naive, so trusting.

"You just don't understand." Naoto shook his head, a broken smile on his lips.

"Then tell me...so I _can_ understand what you're going through..." Rise leaned forward, fistfuls of Naoto's shirt balled up in her hands. "You know...I really can't give up on you. No matter what you are, my feelings toward you will always be the same."

"You don't know what you're talking about." The blue haired boy laughed weakly, humourlessly as he struggled to break away from Rise's hold, but she held on, giving him a look that spoke of nothing but the truth. He hung his head in shame, wondering how he could be so selfish to decieve such a sincere girl.

But he knew.

When she found out, she would be angry, ashamed that he had tricked her into this. It wasn't intentional, but he couldn't tell her now. Her feelings would change. She would hate him. That's why he had to keep this secret with him, break their ties, move away from Inaba forever. He would-

"Naoto-kun..." Rise placed her hand on Naoto's cheek, titlting his head up to look at her. Without warning, she pressed her lips against his, a sweet sensation overcoming the detective's senses.

If this was any other time, he would have been able to stop, but now, his emotions were running rampant, his control lost. He kissed her back with equally fervent want, tangling his hands in her hair as he longed to be closer. Naoto had always heard of various things from movies, read different experiences from books, but nothing could describe the feeling that surged through him now. He couldn't contain himself as he parted Rise's lips further, slipping his tongue into her mouth as he ravaged her thouroughly. Naoto could feel her body tense against his, pushing him back as she fought for control.

Finally parting after what seemed like forever, they stood there, wrapped in each other's arms, struggling to catch their breath.

Resting his chin on Rise's shoulder, Naoto brushed his lips against her ear gently, whispering softly so that she was the only one who could hear him.

"I...really didn't want to fall in love with you, Rise."

* * *

**A/N: **I kept my promise this time! End of July =] This chapter's pretty long.....longest I've ever written in one sitting.... Some if the dialogue was taken from the game. And let's just say they really were drinking alcohol for argument's sake. Sorry about the minimal proofreading. Some OOC-ness due to lack of attention on my part and the ending's kinda rushed, but I hope you all enjoyed it regardless.

Please review!


	9. Chapter 9

**The Idol and the Prince**

* * *

**Part IX  
**

* * *

09/12

* * *

"Okay. I'm going to play detective here for a moment. I can prove that it wasn't a dream!" Rise pointed a finger at Chie and Yukiko, who sat across from her on the floor. She yelled as loudly as she wanted, since there was no one on the roof except for the three girls.

"No, no...I'm sure it was a dream!" Chie sweat dropped as she tried to convince Rise that whatever she thought happened at club escapade was a dream.

"I mean...Naoto kissing you and confessing his undying love for you? How likely is that?"

"I don't know about that, Chie...I think it's about as likely as Yukiko assaulting you after a couple of drinks." Rise wracked her mind, remembering something about Naoto telling her that Yukiko was stripping in the middle of their King's game and that could only mean one thing.

"That n-never happened! Why would that happen anyway? That's just absurd! I mean...Souji and Yousuke were still there, right? Yukiko would never do anything like that..." The brunette chuckled nervously. She stole a quick glance at Yukiko and that innocent expression told her that the girl probably didn't remember a thing.

"I know that...on that night...Yukiko was wearing a pink bra!" Rise pointed a definitive finger at the accused, eliciting a shock from her audience.

"Oh my!" Yukiko instinctively covered her chest with her arms, blushing rather heavily. The black haired girl knew that she was indeed wearing a bra of said color, because she picked it out especially that evening. It was missing the next morning.

"H-how did you know that?" Chie reeled back, her cheeks aflame with embarrassment.

"I think Naoto said something about it, so that confirms that whatever I kinda remember wasn't a dream!" The idol stuck out her tongue at the brunette before taking a bite from her bento.

"T-That doesn't prove anything at all! So what if Yukiko...did that? It doesn't mean that Naoto really did kiss you, you know?" Chie stumbled over her words, only realizing afterwards that she had admitted that such an atrocity did take place.

"Well, however you look at this...What I did was inexcusable. Even though I didn't remember, you should've told me, Chie." Yukiko looked embarrassed and crestfallen. "I'm so sorry for doing such a thing to you...in front of all our friends too..." She shied away, feeling ashamed of her actions.

"I-It's okay, Yukiko! Really!" Chie tried to cheer up her partner in crime, but once Yukiko got like this, it was hard to get her back to normal. Thinking hard, Chie tried to work her charm and came up with an incredibly embarrassing line instead. "Y-you know...I don't really mind what happened, since it was pretty enjoyable after all...it was kinda...exciting."

Looking up, Yukiko's eyes were wide open. "Really?"

"O-of course...Let's...do it again sometime or something." Chie averted her eyes as she squeezed Yukiko's hand reassuringly.

"Are you two for real? Do you understand what you're saying...? Doing such...indecent things in a public place really isn't good!" Rise realized that her thoughts really were innocent as she turned as red as a tomato thinking about whatever Chie and Yukiko were proposing to do. "Unless...you're into that sorta thing..."

"L-let's just get back on topic, okay?" Chie stifled her blush, stuffing her sandwich in her mouth as she chewed away on her lunch.

"Y-yes, that's right. So, Rise-chan, about Naoto-kun...why don't you just ask him directly?" Yukiko got straight to the point as she covered up her embarrassment with another issue.

"A-ask him!? Ask him whether we made out or not on the class trip!?" Rise's mouth dropped right open and she stuttered nervously. "I-I'd die! I-It's just too embarrassing!" The idol clasped her hands onto her reddened cheeks, shaking her head.

"It's the only way, isn't it? You'll get a straight answer out of him finally. I mean...he has been sending mixed signals, hasn't he?" Yukiko was always the straight thinker as she laid all the details out on the table.

"I guess that might work...but what if he didn't kiss me? I'll look so stupid." The idol picked up her chopsticks and nibbled at her rice. Lunch was the last thing on her mind right now, but she was fidgety.

"Well..." Chie took a swig from her water bottle before she continued. "You can't possibly look any stupider after the school trip..."

"Chie!" Yukiko shoved Chie lightly, her brows furrowed. "Why would you say such a thing like that?"

"Uhh...sorry?" Chie scratched her head sheepishly. "But you were pretty wasted that night...Rise-chan..."

"Oh...now that you mention that..." Rise was quiet for a moment, contemplating something.

"Rise-chan...?" Yukiko inched closer to Rise, putting a hand on the girl's shoulder. "I'm sure Chie didn't mean what she said. Just ignore her."

"I-It's not that! W-what if I did something stupid in front of Naoto?" Rise stood abruptly and she was unbelievably hysterical. "Maybe that's why he's not at school today. He probably so disgusted with me! What if he hates me!?"

"Uhh...Rise-chan...I think you're overreacting." Chie tried to calm the redhead down, but she just wouldn't listen to reason.

"I don't want him to be mad at me...I have to find him and apologize or something! He'll hate me!" Rise started to pack her things up, frantically rushing through things.

"J-just calm down! I'm sure Naoto-kun isn't angry." Yukiko held the girl down along with Chie's help, but the idol was flailing uncontrollably.

"I just know it! Right now, I bet Naoto-kun's laughing about how stupid I am!"

* * *

"ACHOO!"

"Geez, Shirogane, go home already...You've been sneezing like that for the past five minutes now." Adachi sneered at the boy, who was sniffling and blowing his nose in a handful of tissues.

"H-How many times do I have to tell you? I. Am not sick." Naoto sighed, sniffling. He turned back to his laptop, typing away furiously.

"Ne, Shirogane, do you have a girlfriend?" Adachi spun around idly on his chair, throwing Naoto a sly look.

"It's no wonder that Dojima-san is always angry with you. You're clumsy and a slacker. Now, please, get back to work." Naoto could feel a slight blush rising on his cheeks, but he wasn't about to let petty words get to him.

"I'll take that as a yes then, Shirogane Naoto-kun." Adachi chuckled, but there was a bitter tint in his voice. "With that face, I'm sure that you're beating girls off left and right."

" Detective Adachi... get back to work." Naoto sighed, wondering why he had to share an office with this moron.

"Okay, okay...just trying to strike up some friendly conversation here. Can't we be friends?" The rookie detective grinned to himself.

"No."

"Aww...how about I buy you a lollipop or something? Some ice cream?" Adachi snickered, rattling the change in his pocket.

Naoto seethed, but just shook his head at the man's childish tactics. He was just like all the other cops in this precinct. They all treated him like a child. He just had to ignore them all and not show them that it bothered him.

As he immersed himself in his work, Naoto began to drift off. Day after day, it was the same thing. He was still in the process of going through all the witness material and police reports gathered over the last couple of months. Nothing caught his eye. In a small town like this, crime was always along the same lines. The occasional vandalism, petty theft, domestic disputes, stalking...

Naoto suddenly stopped in his tracks, his eyes glazing over. He glanced over to a file he set aside on his desk. It was Rise`s stalker/missing person's case from June. It was one of the handful of disappearances that had occurred after the two murders.

The detective rifled through his drawer for a minute, pulling up the two other cases from April and May. He vaguely remembered something written in the reports that could possibly provide a link between the three high schoolers. Frantically, he flipped the pages, scanning over the useless jumble of words in the police report. It might have been a long shot, but it was worth a try. If this was the determining factor, then he had a plan in mind already.

Finally, his eyes rested upon the little bit of evidence he had been looking for. It was the same in all three cases. Smiling, Naoto picked up the receiver, dialling a number hastily.

Behind Naoto, Adachi spoke up again. "Oh ho...calling your girlfriend?" He snickered quietly.

Naoto twitched as he suddenly remembered Adachi's existence in the small ten by ten room.

The tone connected and a woman's voice floated over the line. _"Hello, Inaba TV Station. How can I help you?"_

"Hello, this is Detective Shirogane Naoto from Yaso Inaba PD. I would like to speak to your producer about the news segment she wanted to conduct on my involvement in the murder cases." Naoto smiled to himself, knowing that the station wanted had been pestering him for weeks now to be on their variety show.

"_S-S-Shirogane Naoto-san!? Wait one moment please!" _

Naoto could hear the excitement in the background as the secretary put him on hold. In a split second, another woman took the line, her voice more than enthusiastic.

"_I'm very glad you called, Shirogane-san! Would you like to come over today? We can have you prepped for the evening edition if you come in an hour or two." _

"That would be fine. I'll be at the station at three. Thank you." Naoto promptly put down the receiver, not even waiting for a reply. He glanced at the clock and he had two hours to get ready for his fifteen minutes of fame. Shutting off his laptop, he packed his things and grabbed his coat.

"Hey, Shirogane, where're you going?" Adachi leaned out the entrance of the office, yelling after the boy. "Bring me back some yakisoba or something!"

Ignoring Adachi's stupid requests, he walked out the room, smiling to himself like a kid in a candy store. If his hunch was right, he could have this case solved in no time.

"Wait! No! Make it two boxes of takoyaki!"

Naoto sighed, worried about the future of the precinct if all the rookie cops were like Adachi.

* * *

"W-wait up!" Rise yelled after the train, her arm outstretched as she tried to chase it down. However, no matter how loud she shouted, the conductor wouldn't hear her...

No one else could hear her either, the train station completely deserted. The thing with small towns was that no one really had to take the train anywhere unless they were going to the big towns in the east. The whole trip would take at least two hours as a round trip...and the next train wasn`t going to be here for another half an hour. Maybe she shouldn`t have skipped school...It was her only choice after going to the precinct and finding out that Naoto wasn`t there.

"Hah..." Doubling over, Rise tried to catch her breath, her cheeks red. "Mou...after I ran all the way from the station to catch the stupid train..." She kicked a pebble onto the tracks, an empty rattling echoing through the station. Rise shivered at the creepy atmosphere.

"At times like these, I wish I was back in Tokyo...then again...crowds can be dangerous too..." The redhead sat down on a bench, pouting her lips as she muttered to herself.

"Excuse me, one student ticket, please."

Rise jumped at the voice, almost getting whiplash as she spun her head in the direction of the sound. "C-could it be...?" The idol slumped down and peered over the edge of the bench, making sure that she was out of sight. However, her red pigtails bobbed up and down as she shuffled to get a better view and a person would have to be blind or extremely preoccupied not to notice Rise hiding behind the bench.

At the ticket booth stood a young man wearing Yasogami's black uniform and an unmistakeable detective's hat. He held his schoolbag with one hand, taking his ticket from the vendor with the other. Hurriedly, the young man pushed through the turnstiles, not even glancing in Rise's direction.

"Naoto…" The redhead found his name rolling off her tongue as she watched him wait impatiently on the platform, checking his watch every few seconds.

"What on earth is taking the train so long?" Naoto spat the words out, completely disgusted with the public transportation in Inaba. He tapped his foot, irritated.

As Rise continued her surveillance on the detective, she found her cheeks coloring a bright red. She just couldn't forget what happened on the school trip, but it was simply ridiculous. Through a hazy memory, she remembered that Naoto had confessed his love for her, in his own Naoto-like way, and then proceeded to ravage her thoroughly. At the thought, Rise colored even darker. After all, that kind of situation was impossible, right? Yukiko and Chie told her so.

"T-there was no way he…" Rise couldn't finish her sentence, because a torrent of images and sensations suddenly filled her mind. She could still hear his soft whispers, feel his fingers tangled roughly in her hair and his lips against hers, kissing the breath out of her. Not only that, but she could still remember the words Naoto spoke to her in her dream-like memory.

"_I...really didn't want to fall in love with you, Rise."_

Rise felt a shiver run up her spine as she thought about his words and she let out a sigh.

To the idol's dismay, that sigh happened to be a very loud sigh and Naoto turned, annoyance written on his face.

However, when his eyes met Rise's, his face changed from annoyed to shock to plain embarrassed. His cheeks flamed with discomfort. Then, without warning, he bolted for the turnstiles, vaulting over it as he ran for his life.

For a split second, Rise stood there, her mouth agape in shock at the scene she had just witnessed. Was Chie right? Did she do something so horrible that made Naoto-kun hate her forever?? Suddenly, her face paled as she thought of the different ways he could have humiliated herself in front of Naoto at Club Escapade. The whole night was a blur, but she was sure she acted like a drunken idiot like Chie said she had.

"N-Naoto! Wait!" Rise scrambled to her feet, taking off after the speedy detective. "W-Why are you runnnnnnnniiinnnnng?!" Her plans to go shopping in Kotobukiya were forgotten and she pumped her slender legs as hard as she could to catch Naoto and interrogate him.

* * *

The detective panted as he trudged down the streets with his bag clutched to his chest. "Damn it…" He cursed his heavy load as he paused at a crossroad, thinking about which path to take. For a moment, he thought of abandoning his laptop on the street corner, but that really wasn't an option.

"Naoto-kuuun!"

Naoto swore loudly as he heard Rise call after him, her voice getting closer. Taking a breath, he took off to the left, slipping in between two buildings. He stumbled along the concrete alleyway, panting heavily as the sweat dripped down his face.

"I'm…not…gonna…let you go, Naoto-kuuuun!"

Again, the detective panicked as Rise picked up on his trail, gaining hard on his heels. He tried to blank out his mind, to concentrate solely on running, but seeing Rise made other memories surface and constrict his thoughts, his throat, his chest. Or…that could have been the running getting to him….

"Oh shi-" The boy screeched to a stop, feeling his knees buckle as he came face to face with a brick wall. It was too high to climb, too sturdy to knock down. It was a dead end.

"I…I…"

Naoto spun around, his face as pale as a sheet when he saw that Rise was only standing a few metres away from him. She was doubled over, struggling to catch her breath.

"I've…done too much running today…" Rise brushed her hand across her forehead, wiping away the sweat with the back of her palm.

Naoto was silent, watching as Rise's chest heaved up and down, her cheeks pink from the exertion. Her uniform and her hair were dishevelled beyond belief, but there was something about her that made her look even more dazzling than she usually did.

"N-Naoto-kun...I-I just want to..." Rise tried to get the words out of her mouth, but she was still trying to catch her breath.

The detective was shaking in his boots. He had barely heard a word Rise said. There was only one reason she would've chased him all this way. She was angry at him for kissing her, for ignoring her afterwards, for running away. There couldn't be anything more.

"I-I'm sorry!"

Rise looked up, blinking in shock as Naoto's uncharacteristically shaky voice reached her ears.

"I'm just sorry, sorry for everything I've done. I didn't mean to do it. I just acted on instinct..." Naoto turned away from Rise, taking his hat off as he ran a hand through his hair.

"On...instinct...?" The redhead had no idea what the detective was talking about, but she couldn't stop now. It seemed like he was about to reveal something important. She could feel it in her chest.

"I know it sounds horrible, but I couldn't help myself." Naoto started pacing as he wrung his hands together. "I didn't mean it...I can't mean it...I didn't mean to kiss you, Rise."

The girl could feel something deep in her chest swell and the feel of butterflies fluttering in her stomach almost made her nauseous. She didn't know whether she should be happy that he had done it, or angry that he didn't mean to do it. Regardless of her feelings, she pushed those thoughts aside, taking a couple steps closer to Naoto.

Naoto felt incredibly incoherent, stupid and ashamed for confessing all that to her.

Rise stood less than a meter away from the boy, hesitating before setting a hand on his shoulder and bringing him closer.

"Rise, I-"

Naoto could feel Rise's familiar lips on his and all the self restraint in his body disappeared. He kissed her back, cupping her cheeks gently with his hands. They parted shortly after and Rise wrapped her arms around Naoto, nestling into the crook of his neck. Hesitantly, Naoto reciprocated the action, carefully placing his hands on her back.

"Are you in love with me, Naoto-kun...?" Rise squeezed Naoto tighter as she said that, feeling the blood rush to her head.

"It's complicated, Rise...but I do like you..." He pushed away from her slightly, feeling a little uncomfortable with the fact that Rise was pressed up right against him. It was...slightly painful.

"You've been saying the same thing over and over again, but it's good enough for me...Even if you don't like me that way, I'll be happy with just being with you, Naoto-kun..." Rise stood on her tiptoes, pushing the detective back as she kissed him again.

"O-onee-chan?"

The two jumped apart, their faces aflame with embarrassment as they looked for the source of their interruption.

"Rise onee-chan?"

Rise looked down, the tips of her ears turning red as she spotted Nanako looking up at them innocently. "What are you doing here, onee-chan?"

"Uhh...Nanako-chan! I was just talking to Naoto-kun here. H-he's a detective." Rise laughed sheepishly, smoothing her dishevelled hair back.

"What were you guys talking about? You two were pretty close. Was it a secret?" The cute brunette stared at Naoto and Rise with her puppy dog eyes and her childish innocence, making them feel guilty for deceiving her.

"Well, i-it was nice to meet you, Nanako-chan! I-I have some important detective stuff to do, so I'm going to get going now!" Picking up his forgotten laptop off the floor, Naoto bolted without a backwards glance.

"Naoto-kun!" Rise yelled out and moved to chase after him, but a small tug at her sleeve stopped her.

Nanako had her tiny fingers wrapped around a fistful of Rise's sleeve, looking up with the most helpless expression. "Are you dating that detective, Rise onee-chan?"

Rise sighed, crouching down to Nanako's height. "I wouldn't call it dating, but onee-chan and Naoto-kun are good friends. Don't tell Souji about this. It's our little secret, kay?" The idol patted the little girl on the head, hoping that she would understand.

"Ne, onee-chan...you don't come over for dinner too much. I think it would make me and onii-chan happy." Nanako thread her fingers through Rise's leading her along.

"Oh...I'd love to go Nanako-chan, but I've got a lot of homework to do today..." She laughed nervously, actually hoping to catch up with Naoto after this.

"So you'd rather spend time with that...detective guy... than onii-chan and me?" Nanako pouted, her bottom lip trembling.

"No, no! That's not it! I'll come over for dinner! I'll even go shopping with you! I'll just ask Souji-sempai to help me with my homework or something." Rise smiled as she reassured the girl that she was going to bend to her whims. Little girls sure had powerful magic.

"Yay! Let's stop by Junes to buy some bentos! Shopping with Rise onee-chan is going to be fun!" Nanako skipped along tugging Rise behind her.

The idol couldn't help but smile at the girl's antics. Sometimes, she wished that she could have a little sister as cute as Nanako was.

* * *

Naoto stumbled down the road, still dizzy from the smell of Rise's shampoo, the taste of her lips and the feel of her...he suddenly stopped, shaking his head as he realized what perverse thought were running through his head. It just wasn't normal. For a moment, he paused and wondered why he was having these thoughts...was it really the clothes? Did they change him internally somehow...or was he just born like that?

He continued on, his bag hung at his side as he trudged to the TV station. It wasn't much to look forward to. They were going to throw a pound of make up on him and probably touch his head...He just couldn't stand the thought of someone touching his hair...unless it was Rise. The thought of her fingers threaded through his hair, pulling slightly, the slight pain making it all the more enjoyable.

Naoto's cheeks flared and he ran the rest of the way to the station, hoping to cleanse his thoughts with some exercise.

"Would you like some more fish, Nanako-chan?" Rise reached over, dropping a piece of fried fish into the little girl's bento.

"Thank you, Rise onee-chan!" Souji's cousin was ever so polite and cute as she ate her dinner. She flipped through the channels until she got to one with her favourite Junes commercial.

Nanako's singing put a smile on Rise's lips, but she couldn't help but notice Souji staring at her. He was never one for words, but he was never creepy. She turned towards him, raising her eyebrow. "Is there...something wrong, Souji-sempai?"

He shook his head, seeming to be contemplating about something.

Rise paid him no heed and turned her attention back to the television as the news came on.

"_Tonight, our viewers are in for a treat as we introduce a boy genius right in our very town! It hasn't come to light yet, but the suspect apprehended in the serial murders recently was brought to justice by a high school detective."_

The idol nearly coughed up her rice as she heard the announcer. She turned up the volume, her eyes glued to the set. Before long, a figure came on stage and Rise instantly recognized it as the one and only detective prince. "Are they talking about Mitsuo...?" Rise snuck a glance at Souji and he nodded in agreement.

"_Tonight's report will focus on Shirogane Naoto, the Detective Prince whose good looks are sweeping the nation. Thank you for giving us this opportunity to interview you personally."_

"_No, no the pleasure is mine." _The camera zoomed in on Naoto and Rise nearly swooned at the sight of his ladykiller smile.

"Ne, ne, onee-chan. Wasn't that the detective you were ki-" Nanko started, but Rise jumped in, laughing nervously.

"Ki-kitsune tail chasing...! It was fun. Next time, I'll bring you along too, Nanako-chan." The idol swatted the issue away, trying to gesture to Nanako to say no more.

"What are you talking about, onee-chan? I saw you two in the alley, kiss-"

Rise lunged at the little girl, clamping a hand over her mouth. "N-now, now, what did we say about this, Nanako-chan?" She smiled sheepishly, gauging Souji's reaction from what Nanako had let slip.

Suddenly, there was a rattle of keys at the door and the shoji slid open. "Tadaima."

Dojima walked in, and Rise immediately released Nanako and the girl burst out giggling as she rushed up to her father. "Okaerinasai!"

"Oh! Thank you, Nanako. And I see we have a guest here." The seasoned detective smiled warmly at Rise, making the idol feel more at home.

"Oh, sorry for intruding! Nanako begged me to stay for dinner!" Rise stood up, bowing as she excused herself.

"Oh no, no Rise-chan. You're welcome here anytime! It's more cheerful with Souji's friends over, especially when it's Kujikawa Rise." He set his daughter down, flashing Rise a smile before wandering into the kitchen to rummage through the fridge.

"Thank you very much, Dojima-san!" Rise sat back down, relieved that Dojima's presence had changed the subject. Hopefully, Nanako wouldn't bring up Naoto anytime soon. She quickly switched the channel, making a mental note to look for the video clip online.

"So, how was the trip to Port Island, you two?" Dojima asked as he stuck a bento in the microwave.

"It was very eventful, Dojima-san!" The redhead's cheeks colored involuntarily and thought of the detective prince filled her mind.

"That's glad to hear." He smiled softly. "Oh by the way, Rise-chan, you're a first year right?"

Rise nodded.

"If the first years went, then Shirogane Naoto must've been there too." Dojima looked contemplative for a moment. "You two talk to him much?"

Rise blushed harder yet again, knowing that she did more than just talk to him over the course of this week.

"I guess so, yeah." It was a rare response from Souji and the boy seemed uncomfortable talking about this. Rise could tell not from his deadpan face or lack of expression, but it was the slight narrowing of his eyes as he said it. Did something happen between Naoto and Souji-sempai?

"He's mature for his age, but still a year younger than you. Try to make friends with him, will you? He's a cocky brat, but he's honest." Dojima seemed to sigh at this point and Souji winced slightly, touching his nose gingerly. Rise watched this exchange carefully while absorbing the impact of the detective's words.

"The higher ups are losing their patience with him. It won't matter whether his argument stands up or not in court. At this rate, he won't get anything accomplished by getting kicked off the team." Dojima looked solemn at this, his words hanging heavily in the air.

"Adults can be a selfish bunch..."

The atmosphere was a awkward before Dojima apologized, laughing sheepishly. "I've got to get back to the precinct soon. Can I drive you home, Rise-chan? It's raining outside. I wouldn't want you to walk around at this time of night, especially when it's raining."

"Oh that would be a big help, Dojima-san! Thank you!" Rise put on a cheery facade, but inside, she was thinking about what he said earlier about Naoto being booted off the team.

"Rise onee-chan was kissing that detective guy!" Nanako suddenly blurt out as she pulled on her father's pant leg to get his attention.

Rise's eyes widened, her jaw dropping wide open. "N-Nanako-chan!!"

The whole household was suddenly quiet and two pairs of eyes were trained on Rise. Dojima gave her a kind of disapproving look and Souji was just...shocked. In the background, the gentle rainfall drummed on the roof.

* * *

Hours later, Rise lay on her bed, sighing as she flipped through the pictures on her camera. Naoto looked so carefree, his boyish face full of innocence. She just couldn't believe that a boy her age could be involved in the politics of the adult world. His job as a detective was being threatened because the higher ups weren't getting the credit for all the work Naoto did? It was just ridiculous.

She rolled onto her side, clutching her teddy bear as she put her camera on her nightstand. It was getting pretty late now, almost midnight... Her eyes started to flutter closed. She was exhausted from her running today, never having done such strenuous exercise for months now.

Suddenly, the clock struck twelve and the all the lights in the room dimmed. The TV set in the corner started glowing and Rise sat up with a start. She had nearly forgotten about Mayonaka TV and the creepy atmosphere had almost scared the hell out of her.

Watching intently through the static, Rise could make out a slender silhouette. The image was hazy, but she could tell the person wasn't very tall, of a very slim and kinda feminine build. It reminded her of Naoto, but there was no way, right?

Soon enough, the TV switched off and the lights came back on. Rise scrolled through her contacts on her cell phone, hovering over Naoto's name as she wondered whether or not she should call him.

In the end, she tossed her phone aside, trying to smother her worries as she buried her head in her pillow.

* * *

**A/N**: Sorry for such a late update. By this point, I've forgotten most of what happened in the game, so...that's kinda bad =O School is pretty busy, but I'll try to update every month...or every two months...or every three months... I'll try my best though... I want to make this the first multi chapter fanfiction I've ever finished hopefully! Thanks for all of your support till now =]

Please read and review if you liked it!


	10. Chapter 10

**The Idol and the Prince**

* * *

**Part X  
**

* * *

09/13

* * *

"Did you see that TV show yesterday? What a stuck up brat...Taking all the credit for himself!" Yousuke was fuming as he walked his bike to school.

"You mean Naoto-kun?" Yukiko asked innocently, wondering why Yousuke was so angry. He was always laid back, but when it came to Naoto, he was just a little more fired up.

"Yeah! What's his problem? He bursts in here with his stupid hat and acts like he's God's gift to the world." Yousuke threw his hands up, growling in frustration.

"Naoto ain't that bad, you know..." Kanji spoke up, staring at the ground as he shoved his hands in his pockets. His pale face started to flush a light pink and Chie, who caught this reaction, giggled to herself.

"Well, the police were the ones who identified him and they were the ones who apprehended them in the end, right?" Yukiko tried to defend Naoto, thinking Yousuke's fury to be terribly misplaced.

"And Naoto-kun was part of the police force, right? So I guess he deserves the credit." Chie backed Yukiko up, sticking her tongue out at Yousuke.

"Well, whatever...we were the ones who caught the killer anyway...he didn't have to go on TV and soak up all that glory." The young man huffed, directing his complaints towards Souji, who listened quietly.

"But you know, I'm kinda surprised, though. I didn't think he was the type to go after the spotlight like that. I don't know about you, Rise, but I didn't expect this one bit." Chie dawdled behind the three boys, falling in step with Yukiko and the quiet Rise.

The redhead had been silent this whole time, shuffling along with her heart heavy. She hadn't heard one word of this morning's conversation, her mind focused on the midnight channel. Now that the killer's been caught, they didn't have to worry about that creepy TV station, right? However, no matter how many times Rise told herself this, there was something in the pit of her stomach that refused to let her believe this.

"-so weird, right? I mean that reporter was all over him, asking if he had a girlfriend." Yukiko snickered, talking animatedly with Chie.

"Good morning."

The group looked up as a figure approached them. Rise suddenly perked up as she saw Naoto, dressed in his crisp blue shirt and sharp yellow tie.

"Naoto-kun!"

The detective avoided looking into Rise's eyes, avoided looking in her general direction at all. "I've been waiting for you all. There's something I need to confirm with you regarding the case."

Yousuke snarled, crossing his arms across his chest. "Hmph! Confirm? Don't you mean gloat? You want to tell us how you solved this case by yourself, right? But I'm sorry. If we sing your praises too long, we'll be late for school." He tapped his foot impatiently.

Ignoring Yousuke completely, Naoto carried on. "I have a current theory about the case. It's important that you consider what I have to say."

Yousuke scoffed, rolling his eyes.

Shoving the immature Yousuke aside, Rise begged Naoto to go on. "Don't mind Yousuke. What is it?"

Taking a sigh before continuing, Naoto turned around. He closed his eyes as he went over the details in his head. "First, the victims all share a commonality. Before they were murdered, all of them were kidnapped... Also, the victims were all locals who had become suddenly well-known because of recent media focus. This is the most likely scenario. Otherwise, I don't believe that there was anything unique about the victims themselves. Haven't you all come to the same conclusion?" In that indifferent tone of his, Naoto addressed the group, giving Yousuke a dirty look.

"What? Are you stu-" Yousuke was about to say before Chie elbowed him ruthlessly in the ribs.

"Yeah, we did." This time, it was Souji who answered and the team was shocked that the young man would actually give a response.

Naoto nodded knowingly, smiling to himself. "Then, allow me to get to the point. A handful of you fit these circumstances. Amagi Yukiko, Tatsumi Kanji and Kujikawa Rise. You all disappeared after being shown on TV." He locked gazes with Kanji and Yukiko, but shied away from Rise's gaze once again.

"There was an uncharacteristically long gap between the second and third deaths, but I discovered that your short disappearances had occurred in this time frame. Since some of you had ties to the victims, there was a point where I suspected a number of you to be the culprit or culprits." Naoto said this definitively and coldly with nothing but hard facts.

"Is that why you were tailin' me back in the spring?" Kanji blurt out, stepping up to Naoto, his eyes wide open.

Yousuke pushed the gangster aside, baring his teeth at Naoto. "Are you joking!? How could you come to-"

"Please, let me finish." Naoto fixed Yousuke with a glare and the boy settled down reluctantly.

"However, this was a prior theory, now discarded. I believe exactly the opposite now. You aren't the culprits, but may be the only ones with the means to pursue the true perpetrator..." The detective finished with on a sombre note and Rise noticed that Naoto's eyes seemed to fill with emptiness.

"Wait...you said that we're the only ones who can catch this guy, but...isn't he already in jail?" Chie asked, confusion setting on her features.

"Of course, this is all speculation. There's nothing definitive about my findings. I only assume that the culprit is still around, because of the inconsistency of Morooka's murder. It was the only one we proved with Mitsuo as the killer. He merely confessed to the other crimes. Morooka's death didn't fit in with the criteria of the others. The other two victims were listed with an unknown cause of death, while Morooka died of blunt force trauma. He hadn't disappeared before his death, also inconsistent with the prior murders." Naoto looked down, clenching his fists.

"So the police pointed to Mitsuo as the killer for all three murders just because of his confession?" Yukiko was shocked by the revelation.

"Yes, because this is such a high profile case, the police were desperate to find a culprit despite the discrepancies. Due to their impatience, further action will be necessary to solve this case. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got work to do." The detective adjusted his hat and walked off past the group.

"Naoto-kun, wait!" Rise called after him, but he kept walking.

"Rise-chan, just ignore that prick...he's too smart for his own good..." Yousuke kicked the ground, feeling ashamed that a guy who was a year younger than him deducted all that from nothing. He didn't want to admit it, but Naoto really was an amazing detective.

"Naoto-kun really is smart...I can't believe he figured out all that from detective work. He's not called the detective prince for nothing!" Chie was still in shock, shaking her head in disbelief.

The group continued on their way to school chatting about marks, leaving Kanji to wonder how they got onto this topic. Meanwhile, Rise was lost in her thoughts, debating on whether she should chase after Naoto or not. He seemed kind of upset with her for some reason, but there was something else bothering her. If Naoto was right, he was using himself as bait to draw the killer out.

"I-I'll catch up with you guys later!" Rise dashed off after Naoto, ignoring Yousuke's cries and insults about the detective.

* * *

Naoto trudged down the road, letting out a large sigh. He could've gotten to this conclusion much earlier if he wasn't so preoccupied with irrelevant things. He was distracted from his work, distracted by stupid things in his mind, distracted by-

"Naoto-kun!"

He turned, knowing fully well who that voice belonged to.

Rise ran up to Naoto, pausing to catch her breath. "Naoto-kun. I need to talk to you." For a split second, the detective glanced in her honey gold eyes, flooded with concern, sincerity.

He averted his gaze quickly, as if he had been burned. "What is it?"

"Just rethink this. You're practically setting yourself up to lure the killer out." Rise grabbed Naoto's hand, pleading with her eyes.

"You don't think I know this? Anyway, it's too late for regrets now. It's not like I can cancel the broadcast after it's already aired." Naoto wrenched his hands free of Rise's, starting down the path again, feeling something tighten in his chest.

"Don't be so calm about this. You don't know what you're getting yourself into. This case really isn't what you think." Rise jogged after him, letting out a huff of frustration.

He turned abruptly, nearly making the girl topple onto him. "It isn't what I think? Rise, why are you even involved with this case? It's something I've never understood." Naoto's tone of voice dropped. He was through with playing games. He hadn't asked questions before, but now, he wanted the answers to all of them.

"It's because there's no one else who can do this. You said so yourself, right?" Rise's gaze pierced Naoto's and the boy turned again, becoming quiet.

"Those were just...speculations. I meant nothing by them." The detective was sullen, his mood turning sour. This whole plan was botched from the beginning. It was reckless, dangerous, and Naoto was sure that he was one hundred percent on the right track. He just had a feeling. The confirmation from Souji's group just cinched the deal.

"Ne, Naoto..."

Naoto turned back towards Rise. "Is there some-"

"Mmphh!" Naoto struggled to push Rise off him, but his efforts were half assed. Soon enough, he gave in and let Rise take the lead. It always amazed the detective to see how good Rise was at kissing. She made him weak in the knees, made his head spin with the scent of her, and made him plain crazy.

The finally parted and Naoto gasped for air, his cheeks red with embarrassment. "R-Rise!"

"Sorry." Rise stuck her tongue out at him playfully, but her smile didn't reach her eyes. "I just...wanted to cheer you up." She crossed her arms behind her back, wringing her hands together. For some reason, she shared the tension that Naoto felt. Her instincts told her that the killer was out there and that Naoto was next on his list.

"J-just so you know, I didn't ask for that... I need to focus on my work and y-you're distracting me!" Red-faced, Naoto was close to yelling, not sure how to react when he was so embarrassed, but wanted to express some kind of gratitude at the same time. He didn't want to admit it, but his heart was lighter after Rise's "cheering up".

Rise scoffed, rolling her eyes. "Hah...right...And I wonder who it was that stuck their tongue in my mouth just now."

Naoto opened his mouth to say something, but thought better of it, and walked away, fuming with embarrassment.

"Naoto-kun, stop running away from me!" Rise giggled as she chased him, flinging her arms around him from behind, eliciting a cry from the boy.

"R-R-Rise!!" Naoto's knees buckled under the girl's weight and he blushed at the marshmallow feeling against his back. "Y-You're heavy!"

The redhead pouted, letting up on the poor detective. He may have been a boy genius, but a hundred pound girl was just too much for him to handle. "I'm heavy, am I!?"

"What I really meant was-" Naoto stood up gingerly, turning to face Rise cautiously. Was she angry at him? After all, girls hated comments about their weight...

"No matter how heavy I am, you'll just have to accept all of my love!" With that, the idol pounced at him and this time, Naoto let out a very masculine scream. His hat went flying and the two bodies landed on the floor with an uncoordinated thud.

Luckily, the grass broke their fall and they rolled around a couple times, staining their clothes green from the fresh grass. When the two finally stopped, Naoto ended up on top, almost straddling the girl. He swallowed hard, trying to look Rise in the eyes without thinking of _that_, but to no avail. His heart was pounding in his ears, the blood rushing through his veins. He just couldn't help himself and...

On instinct, the detective leaned down, capturing Rise's lips gently with his own.

They parted momentarily for air, and just when Naoto was recovering, Rise reached up with her hands, crushing their lips together once again. She tangled her fingers in his hair and pulled lightly, eliciting a low moan from Naoto.

Without thinking, Naoto's hands began to wander. He started at the nape of her neck, then her collarbone. It was only when Rise let out a breathless shudder did Naoto notice that he was caressing the girl's slender waist, his fingers inching underneath the hem of her shirt.

"Onee-chan!?!?"

A voice came from afar and Naoto jumped off Rise, scrambling around for his hat. He spotted it a few meters away and crawled towards it. Rise sat up, peering in the distance as she noticed a small figure running towards her. It was a little girl with bouncing pigtails, a red backpack on.

"N-Nanako-chan!?" Rise's jaw dropped in shock and she scrambled to her feet, grabbing Naoto by the hand as they ran down the road with an elementary schooler chasing them.

* * *

"I thought Rise-chan was going to catch up with us..." Yousuke looked depressed as he changed his shoes at his locker.

"Well, I bet she's making out with Naoto-kun by now." Chie chuckled, pushing his buttons. She knew Yousuke had a thing for Rise. Well, half the school had a thing for Rise, but Yousuke was obsessed. She'd seen those posters...and those towels...the daimakura...

"Rise would never kiss that runt! It's just impossible..." The brunette frowned, throwing his shoes in his locker as he slammed the door. "Unless she was as drunk as Yukiko was..." He muttered to himself, not expecting anyone to hear him.

"H-Hey! Shut up about that, stupid! Whatever happened on that night stays between all of us, okay!?" Chie shoved Yousuke aside, her cheeks red with anger.

"It's okay, Satonaka! If I were a girl, I'd be gay for Yukiko too, you know?" Yousuke chuckled to himself, not thinking clearly about what just came out of his mouth. Heads turned in his direction and whispers started floating around at his unintentionally loud comment.

Chie stopped a few meters away from Yousuke, her fists clenched at her sides, her shoulders shaking slightly.

The young man was still laughing to himself when something black and hard came out of nowhere and smashed into the side of his face.

"Gahhh!" He reeled back, falling down on the floor as he clutched his sore cheek, his head pounding. Yousuke sprang up after that, his blood boiling. "Sato-"

"I really don't appreciate comments like that, Hanamura-san, so please watch your tongue." It was a long haired beauty that knocked the boy down, a shocking fury lit up her chocolate brown eyes. Her knuckles were white as she clutched her schoolbag, her arm shaking.

The whole crowd around the school entrance had stopped, their mouths wide open at the spectacle they had witnessed. Even Chie herself was speechless, blinking in disbelief.

Flashing Yousuke a dirty glare, Yukiko turned away from the boy, running over to Chie. She quickly threaded her fingers through the other girl`s, tugging her along as they left the scene without another word.

"Y-Yukiko-san..." Yousuke was speechless and really felt the weight of his words as he stood there amidst the spectator's stares.

As the two girls disappeared from sight, the murmurs and snickers erupted through the students gathered around the shoe lockers. Rumors were already floating about, consisting of Yukiko, Chie, Yousuke and something about Yakuza love triangles.

Amidst the hubbub, Kanji walked up to his sempai. He shook his head in shame as he clasped a hand on his shoulder. "You really are an asshole, Hanamura-sempai..." With that, the gangster walked off, not even asking him about his quickly swelling face.

Yousuke hung his head as he reflected on his behaviour these past few weeks. It all started with Naoto and his snobby mannerisms, but that didn't account for him being disrespectful to Rise or Chie...Yukiko too for that matter.

"I have been an asshole lately..."

* * *

"Y-you're pretty late for school, Rise...It's about time you get back, right?" Naoto fidgeted with his hands, wringing them behind his back as he walked along side Rise.

"After all that running...I really don't want to go to school." The redhead yawned, hooking her arm through Naoto's as she leaned against him.

Naoto tried to distance himself, pulling his arm out of Rise's hold as he blushed hard at the girl's disregard of personal space. "Rise-san...being truant is a very serious issue, you know? People may think that it's a trivial matter, but lots of high school students become delinquents this way."

"Hmm...well, I'm sure I won't become one of those yankees who hang out by the river every day...so you don't have to worry, Naoto-kun." Ignoring Naoto's coldness, Rise eased her hand into the boy's, tugging him along as she pulled him toward the train station.

"Uhh...Rise-san...this isn't the way back to school..." Naoto looked around, but the streets were deserted, the stores just starting to open, the station's queues, empty.

"I know. I just want to go buy that new shirt I saw the other day. It's in this really cute boutique in the next town!" Rise smiled, giggling to herself as she hopped over the turnstile.

"I-If you're going to skip school, I'm not going to be your accomplice. I took a day off in order to gather more evidence after all..." Naoto stood on the other side of the metal contraption, crossing his arms as he shook his head.

"Mou...it'll only be a couple of hours...if you come with me, I'll go to my afternoon classes." The redhead pouted, begging the boy to stay. "I promise, okay?"

"This isn't a bargain, Rise!" Naoto shook his head, feeling torn between skipping classes and just spending time with the girl that drove him up the wall. Suddenly, he blinked in surprise as a spot of water hit him square on the nose. The boy looked up, furrowing his brows at the clump of dark clouds that had rolled in.

"Naoto-kun?"

"It's starting to rain too. Do you really think shopping's a good idea today?" Naoto wiped the water off, feeling more drops fall onto his cheeks.

"It'll be fine! I'll be really quick. Please?" Rise's bottom lip started to quiver; her eyes seemed to well up with tears.

"F-fine!" Naoto huffed in frustration, going along with Rise after her show of crocodile tears. "You should at least pay for your ticket though." He walked over to the booth, fishing out his wallet. However, he paused in his tracks, surprised to find no one there. "What...the..."

"See. That's how Inaba is...It's eight, but the ticket sellers don't even open till ten...The trains still come, so you just gotta...climb over the turnstiles..." Rise smiled innocently, stating her solution so matter-of-factly.

"That's...just not honest. There's no integrity..." Naoto stood there with his money in his hands, looking back and forth between Rise, the turnstile and the closed ticket booth.

"You just have to learn how to cope with these small towns. Be innovative, you know?" Rise hugged her bag, twirling around on the empty platform. She stopped as she peered down the line, a metal monster clunking along the tracks. "Oh, look. Here comes the train!" The idol ran over to the edge.

"R-rise!" Naoto was still stuck behind the turnstile, a handful of coins clutched in his fist.

The train came to a stop in front of the platform and the doors slid open. Rise skipped along through the doors, waving to Naoto who stood five meters away behind the metal barrier.

"Agh...Why am I even doing this!?" Placing the money on the booth's counter, Naoto placed his hands on the turnstile, vaulting over effortlessly as he held onto his hat with one hand. Without even pausing, he used the momentum to propel himself forward, jogging to the doors.

"Hurry, Naoto-kun~!"

The train let out a chime and the entrance started to slide closed.

Pumping his legs, Naoto sprinted the remaining distance, fitting almost perfectly through the closing doors. He collapsed against the seats, trying to catch his breath. His heart was beating a mile a minute, a feeling of excitement tingled down his spine, but there was one thing he couldn't help but think. "T-that...was so stupid..."

"But you were so wonderful, Naoto-kun! I never knew you were so athletic!" Walking over to Naoto, Rise picked something off the floor, dusting it off as she held it out to the boy.

He looked up, his eyes widening as he recognized his hat. Frantically, his put his hands to his head, feeling only his dishevelled mop of hair. "My hat..." He reached out a hand. "Thanks, Rise."

"It's okay, Naoto-kun. I'll hold onto this for you. After all, you must be tired, right?" Rise took a seat next to the detective, smoothing out her skirt as she patted her lap. The girl bit her lip as she leaned over, brushing her lips against the boy's ear. "You can lay your head down here, if you want."

"I-I'll pass on that, if you don't mind..." The detective frowned, trying to hide his embarrassment. He inched away, feeling a shiver run through him at Rise's words.

"Tehe...if you say so. I still won't give your hat back."

"W-well, I figured that much."

* * *

"Oh my gosh. This is just perfect. I have to buy these, Naoto-kun!" Rise held up a layered miniskirt in one hand, and a gothic dress shirt in the other.

"T-That's nice, Rise-san...but don't you think you've done enough shopping for now?" Naoto peered inside the shopping bags, counting three skirts, four tops and a pair of boots. They had been at the mall for hours now, the stores filling up with house wives and couples. "I think afternoon classes are almost over now..." He sighed, his voice echoing strangely in his mind as Rise skipped over to the salesperson for a key to the fitting room.

"Naoto-kun, just wait a sec, kay? I'm almost done." Rise skipped into the change room and Naoto could hear the girl humming through the thin door.

He leaned against the wall, sighing again as he checked his watch. Adjusting his hat, Naoto closed his eyes, feeling a headache coming on. Suddenly, his ears perked up as he heard the rustle of clothing from inside the change room. Blushing, he found himself trying to focus on the sounds, her sighs, the zipping of the zippers, the sliding of clothing against her skin.

"N-Naoto-kun!"

"Y-yes? I-Is something wrong?" The detective stumbled out of his daze, clearing his throat.

"M-My hair got caught in the zipper. Come help me!"

"H-help you? But you're...in the...c-change room..." Naoto could feel his breaths coming in short gasps, his mind running rampant with images of Rise and her wardrobe malfunction.

"It's okay. Just come in. The door's unlocked."

Laying his hand on the handle, Naoto pushed, steeling his nerves. "I-I'm coming in, R-Rise..."

Rise was faced away from the door, her shoulders and her back exposed, the dress shirt strung around just above her waist, sliding lower. She looked back at him, hugging herself to try and hide her fancy brassiere. "Close the door, Naoto-kun."

Wordlessly, he obeyed, hearing the click behind him. The room suddenly got smaller and Naoto was feeling unusually claustrophobic. "W-where's the zipper?"

Rise gestured shyly to her back, showing the boy the strands of hair caught in the zipper that was supposed to be in the front of the shirt.

"I-I don't even know how y-you got into this mess..." Naoto fumed, reaching out hesitantly as he tried to disentangle Rise's long hair from the dangerous mess of zippers. He stared at the girl's snow white skin, the nape of her neck entrancing him. Despite his better reasoning, he had the indescribable urge to caress Rise's skin, to see if it was as soft as it looked.

"Kyaa!" Rise let out a cry, whipping her head around as she glared at Naoto. "Y-You have cold hands you know?"

"S-Sorry! I-I was just trying to move your hair out of the way!" Naoto fumbled, ashamed that he'd given in to the desire to run his hand along the curve of her neck. Unfortunately, his hands were stone cold, frozen with a panicky nervousness that he'd never experienced. Setting aside his slight distraction, Naoto toyed with the zipper, pulling and pushing gently to fix the problem.

"Iyaa...Naoto-kun... Your hands..."

"S-stop making it s-sound so weird! I-I'm not doing anything dirty at all..." Naoto took a deep breath and gave the zipper another good tug and finally freed himself from this situation. He stood, bolting out of the change room, closing the door behind him.

"Thank you!"

The detective ignored the girl behind the door, picking up the bags he left as he slumped against the wall, feeling emotionally exhausted.

"Excuse me, but I think this would look just perfect on you!"

Naoto turned, surprised to find the salesperson come up to him with a blue zip-up sweater. He looked at her strangely for a minute, shocked at the fact that this store sold men's clothing too.

The woman wilted under Naoto's stare. "W-well, I see how good that blue shirt looks on you and I think that color really brings out your eyes."

"I'm sorry, but I'm not really here for shopping. I'm just waiting for-"

"Y-your girlfriend, right?" The saleslady jumped in, nodding understandingly.

"Uhh...she's not my-"

"You're lucky to have such a pretty girl! She looks a lot like Risette too, but I'm not surprised that you caught such a model of girlfriend." The lady laughed, placing her hand on Naoto's arm casually.

"Sorry, but-"

"Oh c'mon. Just try this sweater on. I'm sure you'll like it, because you have such a slender figure and such nice shoulders..." Naoto was cut off once against as the pushy sales lady coaxed him to put down the bags he was holding, easing the sweater through his arms as she continued to invade his privacy.

"M-miss, I-"

"There! Look, don't you look dazzling in that?" She ushered him over to a mirror and Naoto suddenly stopped his unheard complaints.

"It looks...nice." He turned to the side, liking how the sweater hung off his figure, baggy, but flattering nonetheless. The upturned collar was fitting too, making him look...like a guy.

"Oh my gosh! That looks so good on you!" Rise came out of the change room, squealing as she fawned over how cool the detective looked.

Naoto averted his eyes from Rise's sinfully short skirt and her generous assets flaunted through that low cut top.

"Y-you look nice too." Was all Naoto said as he hurriedly took off the sweater, laying it on the rack.

"Okay! Miss, I'll get all this, okay? Could you please ring it up for me?" Rise gestured to her outfit and Naoto's sweater, running back into the change room, winking at Naoto who was had his mouth open, ready to object.

In a flash, Rise was back in her school uniform, her spoils in her hands as she skipped over to the register. "Put it all on my card." The idol rummaged through her wallet and whipped out her credit card, smiling happily at her purchase.

"R-Rise, you really don't have to get this for me. I have tons of clothes at home anyway, so-"

"Just think of it as a gift, Naoto-kun." Rise giggled, waving it off as she handed Naoto yet another bag full of clothes.

"W-wait. Naoto...as in Shirogane Naoto?" the cashier had her hands to her mouth, gaping in shock. "I can't believe it! I thought it was you, but I was too embarrassed to ask!" The excited girl walked up to Naoto, grabbing a pen from behind the counter as she held out a pad of paper.

"C-Can I have your autograph?"

Naoto flushed a light pink, blinking confusedly as he took the pen and paper, scribbling his signature on the notebook. He handed it back to the girl wordlessly, still in shock.

"I just want to ask, but how did you know my name?" Naoto already had an inkling why he was getting recognized, but that was no reason for him to have fans.

"Well, I saw you on the news the other day! All my friends are crazy about you! Are you really a detective? What school do you go to?" The salesperson started to spew her questions endlessly, fawning over Naoto like a blushing high school girl.

"Umm...excuse me, but we have to get going now." Rise smiled sheepishly, tugging on Naoto's arm as she pulled him out of the store.

Out of the cashier's earshot, Rise started muttering darkly to herself. "Asking for his autograph and not mine..."

Naoto trailed along behind Rise, still in slight shock over the fact that he was...practically famous in these small adjacent towns. "Ne, Rise....maybe we should go back now. It's already five o'clock...You've already missed a whole day of school."

"Maybe you're right. You're getting too much attention out here...I guess that news special really worked..." Rise scoffed, picking up the pace as she headed towards the mall entrance.

"Well, I am just following my hunch after all. It's a good sign that it's working." Naoto threw that out as an off-hand comment, his mind drifting off as he was dragged in back into the murder case.

"A good sign?"

Rise stopped in her tracks, her voice rising an octave.

"Of course it's a good sign. It just brings me this much closer to solving the case." Naoto's tone dropped and he suddenly felt angry, sad, overcome with indescribable panic. He masked everything with his nonchalance, his indifference, but inside, the thought of being kidnapped by a homicidal maniac wasn't a very fun notion.

"Is solving the case all that matters to you? You don't know what you're getting involved with here. He's capable of more than you can imagine. If you're not careful...you'll be... " Rise paused, her voice hitching in her throat.

"What are you talking about, Rise? Do you know who's behind all this?" Naoto's gaze hardened as he stared down the girl. He knew Rise and the others were hiding something from the police. He didn't know how long they had been doing this or how much information they had, but he knew that it wasn't solving the case.

"I-I don't know exactly who's doing all this. We don't even have a suspect. It's all really complicated...I-" Rise crumbled under Naoto's glare, feeling the edge of interrogation that the detective pressed on her.

"Rise...I've never really understood, but if you're closely involved in this, why can't you tell me? It would make the case go so much faster. It can probably be solved in less than a week if you cooperated with the police." Naoto let out an angry sigh of frustration, feeling the blood rush to his head.

"Naoto-kun, even i-if I told you...if I told the police, no one would believe me! The story's ridiculous. It doesn't make sense..." Rise started to feel victimized, being turned into the suspect here.

"It doesn't matter how ridiculous the story is...It doesn't change the fact that you're involved. Just tell me and stop making up excuses." The boy shook his head, feeling angry that maybe days and weeks of his work were all in vain when a handful of high school kids held the truth in their hands.

"W-well, when the victims disappear...they go to..." Rise paused for a moment, wondering if she should really be spilling all the secrets of the other world. After another moment of hesitation and a glare from the detective, Rise caved in. "I-It's this other world that you travel to through the...the TV. There are monsters there called shadows andwhen it rains over here, the fog lifts in the other world and the victims are exposed to all sorts of dangers. When they're killed by the shadows, their bodies end up back over here somehow."

For a moment, Naoto stared at Rise wordlessly, opening his mouth slightly, trying to choose his words carefully, to try and compose himself and retain his anger. "Rise...please don't lie to me. Don't insult my intelligence." He shook his head, the pressure in his head driving him nuts.

"But, Naoto, I'm not lying! I-It's the truth. I follow senpai and the others there and we try and find the missing people we see on the TV. And last night, I swear I saw you. It means that you're in danger, that you're-"

"Stop. Just stop! I don't even understand what you're saying. You're spewing nonsense and if you think I'm going to believe this crap, I'm afraid that I'm...not that stupid." Naoto was shaking with fury now, Rise's words pushing him over the edge.

"I-I told you that it wouldn't make sense! It's crazy, but I swear it's all true. Please believe me." The tears welled in Rise's eyes and she didn't understand why he was so touchy about this subject.

Scoffing, Naoto grimaced. "Do you know how many days I spent slaving over this case? How much abuse I've withstood from those ridiculous detectives at the precinct? I haven't gotten any ground on this and I even thought that if I became friends with you, I could gather some valuable information..." The boy let this all roll of his tongue. The words went straight out of his mouth, not even receiving any thought. He said it all on a whim, immediately regretting his actions.

"Y-You...became friends with me just for that...?" The redhead's voice dropped to a hoarse whisper. She brought a hand to her mouth, the tears streaming down her cheeks.

"No, Rise, that didn't come out right. I-" Naoto reached out, but Rise backed away from him, shaking her head.

"No. T-that came out exactly as you said it. I-I understand. I understand completely." She could barely keep the tears in and with a heavy sob, Rise bolted through the front doors of the mall, darting into the streets.

For a moment, Naoto just stood, feeling his chest tighten as his heart jumped into his throat. He watched her run, the tears in her eyes.

* * *

**A/N:** Hope no one was bored to death. I swear. It'll get better soon. Hopefully. Sorry about slight grammatical errors as well. Please stay tuned and thank you to all those people who have supported me all this way. I hope you all liked this chapter and please review if you wish to~


	11. Chapter 11

**The Idol and the Prince

* * *

**

**Part XI

* * *

**

09/13

* * *

"What is wrong with me?" Naoto frantically stuffed the smaller bags into the largest one, taking off after the girl as he burst through the doors. At the entrance, he stopped, a torrent of cold rain hitting him hard from every angle. He was soaked in a matter of seconds, the freezing cold water seeping through his skin and into his bones.

His eyes darting around worriedly, Naoto rushed around, trying to catch sight of Rise. Luckily, the streets were still empty, but the dark skies and the blinding torrent of rain made it hard to see anything. "Rise! Rise!" The detective yelled at the top of his lungs, starting to panic.

Suddenly, he felt a wave of relief overcome him as he spotted the twintail disappearing around the corner in front of him. His feet moved automatically and he took off after the girl. Sprinting across the street, the detective narrowly missed the cars, cutting through the sparse traffic to gain some distance on Rise. "Rise! Rise, wait!"

At the sounds of his voice, Rise sped up, stumbling blindly through the streets, pushing her way through the light crowd.

"Rise! Please! Just let me explain!" Naoto strained his voice, ignoring the stares he was attracting and the people he pushed out of his way.

The redhead covered her ears with her hands, choking out heavy sobs as she half stumbled down the streets. The rain was cold and numbing, mingling with her tears as the water streamed down her face. Her legs were frozen and uncooperative, her knees starting to buckle. Suddenly, she ran headlong into man with an umbrella, falling backwards onto the pavement from the impact. No one offered to help her up. The people around her walked past her, ignoring the young woman's plight. Even if she was Rise, no one could tell in this insane storm. In the middle of the sidewalk, she sat there, unmoving, the flow of tears refusing to stop.

"Rise! Rise!"

Rise's ears perked up at the voice, scrambling to her feet as she heard the hurried footsteps come up behind her. She was barely on her feet when a hand reached out and clasped down on her arm.

Instinctively, the idol turned, lashing out as she flailed her arms around wildly. "Let me go! Just let me go!"

Naoto winced as Rise's fist connected hard with his cheek, but he kept his hold firm on the girl's arm. "Rise! Just hear me out!"

She pulled, trying to free her arm from Naoto's grasp. "W-why are you even here! Just leave me alone! I have nothing else to tell you! I-I'm useless to you now!"

"Rise, no! That's not true! What I said before...I didn't mean to say it like that!" Naoto fought with Rise, trying to get the girl to stay still. He wrestled her arms to her side, crushing the redhead against him as he held her tightly.

Rise struggled in Naoto's arms, thrashing around, trying to resist the feel of his faint warmth that felt so good against her cold skin. "Y-you used me! You lied to me! You tricked me!"

"I might have tried to get close to you because of the case at first, but now, but now!" Naoto hugged Rise close to him, feeling his voice crack. "I've fallen in love with you."

The idol was shocked at the level of desperation in Naoto's voice, but she just couldn't believe it. He had been lying to her all this time, his intentions false from the start. "I-I don't believe you...You're just...trying to trick me again!"

"No! I'm serious about you, Rise! I've fallen so hard for you..." The detective held the girl tightly in his arms, resting his head on hers as he pressed his lips to her forehead. He was starting to feel the coldness seep into him, his hands numb.

"Y-you're lying...You're lying...there's no way I can believe you now..." Rise could feel the shivers run down her spine, her slender frame shaking from the cold wetness that soaked her through and through. The redhead had calmed down by now, but the tears were still streaming down her cheeks, the suffocating feeling still weighing down on her heart.

"I've never felt this way about anyone...I never knew this could ever happen, but I'm crazy about you, Rise. Please believe me." Naoto released his grasp on the girl, holding Rise at arm's length so he could make her see the conviction in his eyes.

"Y-you're such an actor, a fake...I hate you! I hate you..." Rise's words were losing their edge, her resolve slipping away. She was so angry only mere minutes ago, but now, she wanted nothing more than to make amends with the boy who broke her heart. She wanted to feel his warmth against her, to hear him tell her all those sweet lies. She just wanted to give into the temptation, but her ego wouldn't let her. The words were on the tip of her tongue and she had to say it, to deny the wretched emotions that were taking her over.

They were already attracting stares and heated whispers, but the sight was about to become more awe inducing. Passer bys were chuckling, whipping out their phones even in the midst of the relentless storm.

"Just disappear...Leave me alone. I really hate you! I-"

Rise was silenced as Naoto bent down, crushing his lips to hers as he kissed her roughly. She fought back at first, but her efforts waned as she lost her senses to the young man's aggressiveness. Rise couldn't help herself, letting out a soft moan as Naoto forced his tongue in her mouth, ravaging her desperately. The detective's hands wandered slightly, caressing the small of her back as he tried to bring her closer than she already was. Rise let out another moan, tangling her fingers through Naoto's sopping wet hair.

After what seemed like forever, the two parted. Rise took deep breaths of the water logged air, her mouth raw and tingling. She brought a hand to her face, brushing aside the hair that was matted across her cheeks with the rain water. "N-Naoto-kun..." She shivered slightly, feeling the electrifying cold shoot up her side.

"R-Rise...we should really get out of this rain..." Naoto took Rise's hand in his own, looking around as he spotted a couple of bags splayed across the sidewalk. Hurriedly, he rushed over, picking up the spilled contents. "Sorry about the clothes..." He muttered under his breath, wondering if Rise even heard him.

Without another word, Naoto tugged Rise along, his eyes searching the stores on the side of the road. Suddenly, a sign caught his attention, the neon words 'hotel' coming into view. The sign looked shady and considering the part of town they were in, seeing such a cheap looking hotel could only mean one thing. The detective could feel a blush grace his cheeks, but he pulled Rise towards the building anyway. They had to find shelter and dry off somehow or else they'd both catch their death of cold.

"N-Naoto-kun...T-This place is..." Rise felt uneasy as they entered the building, the strange lighting setting off warning bells in her head.

"I-I know! But...we're just here to dry off..." Naoto , his hand still tightly wrapped around Rise's, went over to the automated selection menu, looking for a normal looking room. Finally finding one to his tastes, Naoto fished around in his pocket for his wallet, pulling out the waterlogged piece of leather. Unwilling to let go of Rise's hand, Naoto fumbled around, sliding out his credit card. He held his wallet in his mouth, raising his card to the machine to make his purchase.

Seeing which room Naoto was planning on getting, Rise's eyes widened. "N-Naoto-kun! That's one's way too expensive!" Reading the description, it was a deluxe suite with a well furnished room and a very lavish v.i.p. bathroom.

The machine beeped as Naoto made his selection and a card key popped out of the slot on the bottom. Clumsily putting his card and his wallet back in his pocket, Naoto took the card key, tugging Rise along behind him. His cheeks were beet red now and he just couldn't keep his head out of the gutter. He tried to concentrate on finding the room, his head jumbled with stupid thoughts. "W-we're in room 503."

They made their way down the hallway to the elevators, silent with the heavy awkward silence that descended between them. The only sounds in the corridor were their squeaky footsteps and the sound of water dripping off their clothes. They left a trail of rainwater in their wake, the floors slick with the rain. At the waiting area, Naoto jammed his finger on the up button, his hands shaking violently.

The elevator let out a chime as the doors slid open and the two stepped in. When the doors closed, the tension thickened, making the atmosphere strangely tense with a kind of apprehension. Silently, Naoto pressed the button for the fifth floor.

* * *

Naoto sat on the edge of the bed, heaving a heavy sigh as he buried his face in his hands. He was clad in a pair of boxers, his soaked through dress shirt slick to his skin. His hair was matted to his face, sopping wet with rain water. A chill wracked his body and he sneezed.

Sniffling, the boy stood, undoing the buttons on his shirt as he peeled the piece of clothing off his back. He grimaced at the slimy feel, flinging the top aside. He went over to one of the large dressers, rummaging through it as he found a large towel. He draped it over his shoulders and ruffled it through his hair, drying it roughly. Naoto walked back over to the bed, and grimaced at the carpeted floor against his bare feet. Pausing, he looked across the room at the dressing table, staring at his unfamiliar reflection in the mirror. He ran a hand across his bandaged chest and felt a sort of resentment building up within him.

Suddenly, he could hear the water shut off in the bathroom and the sound of the shower curtain being pushed aside. Naoto scrambled over to the shopping bag where his new, but slightly damp sweater was, putting it on hastily and zipping it up all the way to the top. He rushed around the room, picking up his discarded clothing as he laid it more presentably across the loveseat in the corner of the room.

The bathroom door creaked open and Rise stepped out, letting out a long sigh. "Wow! I feel so much better now! It feels so nice to be warm and clean." She giggled to herself, her mood perfectly cheery and a 180 degree difference from just mere minutes before.

"R-R-Rise! What are you doing!" Naoto spun around hastily, covering his eyes with his hands as Rise strolled out of the bathroom with only a white towel clutched to her front. It wasn't even wrapped around her; it was just...there, very poorly covering the crucial parts.

"What? Is something wrong, Naoto-kun?" Rise feigned ignorance as she closed the distance between her and the detective, swaying her hips saucily as she walked towards him.

Peeking between his fingers, Naoto took a glance in the mirror in front of him, gasping as Rise came up behind him. He nearly bit his tongue as Rise hugged him tightly from behind.

"Naoto-kun...I just wanted to tell you that the shower's free now." Rise's lips were right against Naoto's ear and every word sent a chill through his core. Her chest was pressed up right against his back, the thin layer of his sweater and the towel were the only things separating him and Rise's bare assets.

Suddenly, Naoto felt a soft material fall around his legs and he looked down to see a white towel on the ground.

"Oops. There goes my towel."

At that, Naoto felt the blood rush to his head, his thought process halted. He couldn't think of anything except for the fact that Rise was embracing him, her naked figure flush against his back.

"R-Rise..."

"Hmm? What's up, Naoto-kun? Why don't you talk to me face to face?" Rise's voice teased him, her lips against his neck, her hands wandering up towards his neck, reaching for the zipper.

He took a deep breath, trying to stop his voice from shaking like a leaf. "I don't think we should do this, you know..."

"I thought you said you loved me, didn't you...?" Rise's voice dropped an octave, holding a dangerous edge. She nestled closer to Naoto, her dainty fingers pulling at his zipper slowly as she nipped lightly at the boy's neck.

Instinctively, Naoto craned his neck back to give Rise more access, letting out an uncharacteristic moan as he felt a sharp sensation sink into his skin. It was an indescribable mix of pain and pleasure, sending jolts of ecstasy rippling through his thin frame.

"I do love you..." The detective's voice drifted off, feeling the swell of desire rise up within him. He shivered slightly as Rise's hands wrapped around his torso, running up and down his slender sides, his taut stomach. Her hands were warm against his cold and clammy skin, spreading her warmth through him.

"Since we're here...you could...show me how much you really love me..." The redhead's voice was getting raspier, her breathing heavy and laboured. She gathered her courage as she trailed her hands lower, resting on the waistband of Naoto's boxers.

"R-Rise, Rise!" Naoto finally screwed his head back on; the girl's fleeting touch against his waist shocking him back to reality. No matter how pleasant this dream was, it was going to turn into a nightmare soon if he didn't put a stop to it. He shook the girl off, his cheeks bright red as he hastily zipped up the sweater he didn't know was left open.

"What's wrong, Naoto-kun?"

Naoto stood stock still, fidgeting with his zipper as he remained facing away from Rise. He knew the girl was still stark naked and she wasn't going to retain any modesty at this point.

"I-I really can't do this. It's impossible..." The detective squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head back and forth as he tried to think of a plan to get out of this mess.

"It's...impossible? And I thought you were enjoying yourself too..." There was a sense of disdain in her voice, a slight bitterness hanging in the air. Naoto could hear the faint shuffle against the carpet as Rise's arms snaked around his waist once again.

"Please don't misunderstand...it's not like I don't want to do this...but I just can't." Naoto struggled half heartedly in Rise's embrace, trying to distance himself from her, but she held him tightly, unwilling to let go.

"If you really love me, Naoto-kun...I'm sure you can prove it to me." Rise nuzzled her cheek against the boy's, lacing her fingers through his. "Show me that I'm not just an informant to you..."

Naoto's head was spinning with Rise's scent, her voice and the gravity of her words finally sank in. She wanted to do what they shouldn't, what they couldn't or else Naoto would be exposed for the liar and the cheat he really was. No matter how much he wanted to give into his dark desires, they would be ruined if he did.

"We both know the case isn't closed yet, so you can still squeeze some information out of me..."

Naoto shook his head. "No, no...that's not-"

"If that not the issue, then I hope you're not just lying to me. You don't know how much your words hurt me earlier, to find out that...that you were just toying with me."

"I'm not toying with you! I-I told you!" Naoto turned around abruptly, his eyes flaming with a conviction Rise had never seen.

"Actions speak louder than words. Words mean nothing, Naoto-kun. " Rise held a strange look in her eyes as she closed in on the boy. Naoto started to back up, trying to increase the distance between them. Rise was starting to show a side of her that he had never seen and he was starting to...get scared.

"R-Rise. Please understand. It's really not that I don't love you enough to do this, b-but...I'm just not ready!" Naoto blushed hard at his own embarrassing words, trying to appease the beast in Rise.

"Hah! Not ready? What are you talking about? Any teenage boy would jump at this chance to sleep with me, but you're really special if you have the guts to turn me down like this." Rise continued to corner Naoto, pushing the detective backwards until he had nowhere to go. The back of his knees hit something soft and that's when he realized that Rise had him where she wanted him; right up against the king sized bed.

"I-I'm not that kind of person, Rise. Why are you rushing into this? I-I really don't think I can handle this kind of thing." Naoto's voice was starting to quiver now, losing most of his bravado as Rise's hands started to reaching underneath the thin sweater that protected his dignity.

He was scared that he would be exposed, scared that Rise would hate him and scared that he would be humiliated. Naoto almost felt the wind being knocked out of him as Rise pushed him down rather roughly on the mattress. His legs were still dangling off the edge of the bed as Rise climbed up on top of him, stark naked. He tried to avert his eyes modestly, but Rise commanded his attention, reaching for his right hand and placing it on her left breast.

"Can't you feel how fast my heart is racing? Aren't you the great Detective Prince? What's a little girl like me to you? I'm sure you can handle me no problem." The redhead licked her lips, eyeing Naoto like a piece of candy. Nothing about her gaze was innocent and the boy felt more and more like a child as the idol continued on.

She ran her fingers along Naoto's inner thighs, inching further and further up his leg. Her fingers were already through the leg of his boxers, crawling up towards an off limits area.

"R-Rise! Stop this!" Naoto struggled under the girl's weight on his legs, swatting her hands away and trying to cover himself with both his hands.

"Don't be shy, Naoto-kun. If you're going to be an adult, this is going to be step in your life that you'll have to take sooner or later." She pulled at his hands, trying to wrestle them away from himself.

"W-why are you doing this! I-I told you! I can't do this!" Naoto fought with Rise as she clawed at him, practically assaulting the detective. She slipped her fingers into the hem of his boxers, tugging roughly.

"You're being immature, Naoto!" Rise continued with her sexual assault, trying to force the article of clothing off.

"I-I might talk like I'm all mature and adult-like, but I'm really nothing more than a high school student who knows nothing about romance!" Naoto didn't realize he was yelling as he said this, his hands grasped fistfuls of his boxers, struggling to keep them on. Rise's weight bore down on him, making his legs feel numb as the seconds passed.

Rise was winning the struggle as she managed to get the waistband down a couple of inches, her elbows pressing down on his abdomen. Just a little more and his secret would be exposed, their friendship ruined and his reputation as a detective, gone. He flailed around beneath Rise, bucking his hips as he tried to sit up. The idol temporarily stopped stripping the detective as she attempted to hold him down so she could continue.

The mattress springs squeaked as the two struggling on top. Naoto was getting desperate, but he still had the consciousness to try and hold back. After all, it was Rise who was sitting on top of him completely naked and trying to strip his boxers off.

"Kyaahh!"

Naoto pushed a little too hard and Rise teetered backwards, losing her balance. He scrambled to grab her outstretched hands, but she tumbled back off the edge of the tall bed and onto the carpeted floor with a thud.

"Rise!"

Naoto slid off the bed as he hastily pulled his boxers back up, rushing over to the redhead who was sprawled on the floor. Frantically, Naoto grabbed the towel Rise discarded earlier, draping it around her as he helped her off the ground. "Are you alright? Are you hurt anywhere?"

The idol groaned in pain, holding her hand to her head gingerly as she stood. "It hurts!"" Rise started to sniffled, tears welling up in her eyes.

"Did you hit your head, Rise?" Naoto fussed over the girl, his brows knit together as he inspected her injuries. He gently parted her hair, feeling around gently with his fingers on the girl's head. "It is starting to swell a little. I'll go get you some ice from the lobby." As he turned, Naoto was stopped by a tug on his sleeve.

"Don't go…"

He looked back to see Rise with her gaze directed downards, hanging her head in shame.

"It's okay. I'll just be a minute, so wait for me here." Naoto moved towards the door again, but the idol's grasp still stayed firmly on his sleeve.

"I'm sorry…" The words were barely above a whisper, but Naoto heard her loud and clear.

Smiling sadly, Naoto, shook his head. "What are you sorry for?" The detective raised a hand and rested it on the girl's head, stroking her hair gently. He felt like he should have been the one apologizing. After all, he was the one who was deceiving her. In fact, he even felt guilty for stringing her feelings along so far when there really would be no happy ending for them. It was a thought that haunted him night after night.

The girl suddenly burst into tears, flinging herself at the detective and bawling uncontrollably. "Naoto-kun…What on earth was I thinking?" E-Even though I assaulted you s-so violently, y-you still rushed over to see if I was injured at all..."

"Well, even though I am still recovering from the shock of your actions, I can't change the fact that I care about you, Rise." Naoto wrapped his arms around the girl, rubbing her back comfortingly as he tried to calm her down. "I really should be the one crying right now..."

"I'm so sorry, Naoto..." Rise truly felt ashamed of her actions, finally feeling the extent of her harassment. "I-I really didn't mean to go this far..." Leaning down, Rise buried her face deeper into the crook of Naoto's neck, soaking his sweater with her relentless tears. "I-I was...in over my head...or something. I'm horrible. I don't know why I did such a thing...I'm so sorry."

"I-It's okay...Don't cry, Rise. Please. It hurts me to know that I've made you cry twice today." Naoto pressed a gentle kiss to the crown of Rise's head, holding the idol closer against him.

"I know my actions were really despicable, but if there's anything I can do to-" Rise was desperate to make it up to the detective, but he cut her off mid sentence, telling outright that...

"You don't need to make it up to me or anything...It's in the past..." Naoto quickly interjected . It wasn't like he didn't want to sleep with Rise, but just the fact that he couldn't. He was sure that if he was of the male persuasion, he would have ravaged Rise long ago.

"There has to be something I can do to atone for my actions..." Rise pleaded with the detective, wanting to ease her own guilt somewhat.

Thinking hard, Naoto racked his brain for something that would put an end to Rise's insistency. "Well, there is one thing that would make it up to me..."

"What is it? I'll do anything, Naoto-kun!"

"Um...well, for starters, you could put on some clothes?" Naoto broke out of their embrace, blushing as he tried to avert his eyes from the sight of Rise's towel clad body. At this point, he almost regretted not drinking in the full sight of her earlier.

"O-Oh!" Rise sniffled, wiping away the last of her tears with the back of her hand as she wandered over to the abandoned shopping bags. She rummaged through them and let her towel fall, making Naoto swallow hard at the sight.

Biting her lip, Rise kept a knowing smile to herself as she faced away from the boy. Slowly, she drew her blouse over her head, exposing herself slightly as she struggled with her top. Next, as the idol fished out a pair of red panties from one of the bags, Naoto's eyebrows furrowed at her fashion choice, amazed at how mature high school girls were these day. Watching intently, Naoto took notice of the way Rise swayed her hips quite exaggeratedly as she put each leg through the holes in the thin piece of fabric. Taking a deep breath, Naoto couldn't describe the feelings that were provoked at the sight of Rise's rather…lewd performance.

Turning slowly, Rise continued to bit her lower lip rather provocatively, the swagger in her step accentuating the fullness of her hips and her long slender legs.

"T-that's all you're going to wear?" Naoto blinked rapidly, his mouth dry and his breathing coming in short gasps. He fidgeted incessantly as Rise took a seat beside the blue haired boy.

"Well, I did put on some clothes, so what else can I do to make it up to you?" The idol scooted closer to the detective, leaning over as she rested her head casually on his shoulder.

"Umm...well…" He hesitated for a moment, looking away from the girl as he scratched his head sheepishly. " I'll call it even if you forgive me for saying such hurtful things earlier. I really didn't mean them. It was just in the heat of the moment..." Naoto trailed off, continuing to not make any eye contact with Rise.

"Naoto... I've already forgiven you if you hadn't noticed. I was just trying to use your guilt to get what I wanted. I really am a horrible person..." Rise hooked her arm around Naoto's, nestling up to him. Beside the girl, Naoto sighed a silent sigh of relief, glad that his words didn't hang awkwardly in the air anymore.

"Rise, if you _were_ such a horrible person as you said, I don't think I-I'd care so much about you. You're not horrible, not in the least bit. Trust me." He offered her a genuine smile, reaching out as he rested his hand on hers.

"I'm so lucky to have someone like you as...as my...my..." Rise hesitated, wondering what to say next. "My friend? I don't think that sounds right..."

"Well we've only known each other for two months..." Naoto added, curious about what Rise wanted to go with this.

"True. We've known each other for a short time, but I think we're a lot closer than friends, aren't we? I mean...you wouldn't make out and feel up a regular friend like Kanji for example, would you?"

"W-What! I-I barely even speak to Tatsumi-kun!" Naoto was livid, wondering where Rise got the idea in the first place. Sure Kanji had been hitting on him, but that didn't mean they were friends.

"So...are we friends with benefits?" Rise thought out loud, considering the situation.

"That's rather...crude isn't it? It implies that both of us are just in the relationship for the physical...aspects..." Naoto furrowed his eyebrows in deep thought, wondering how the conversation got to this point.

"Then...how bout we go out? Officially?" Rise put the idea out in the open. It sounded like she had just come up with the notion, but in reality, she had been thinking about this for weeks now.

"Sure. I wouldn't mind that..." Even though he said it with a completely indifferent nonchalance, Naoto could feel the embarrassment rise in his cheeks. They were hot to the touch, beaming bright cherry red, but for some reason, he felt strangely happy.

"Then I can call you just 'Naoto' now, right?" Rise inched even closer to the boy, sliding a hand across his lap as she rested it on his knee.

"You already call me Naoto whenever you feel like it... and I call you Rise, so there's really no difference with the honorifics and whatnot..."

Rise smiled widely, throwing her arms around the detective as she brushed her lips against his ear. "Then I'll call you _'Naoto'_ more often and create more misunderstandings at school."

Naoto sighed, but a grin spread across his lips. "I really can't argue with you, Rise. As long as you're happy, I don't care what you do." Turning, he closed the distance between him and the blushing schoolgirl.

"You're such a lady-killer sometimes, Naoto..." Rise trailed off as she smiled into the kiss.

* * *

Hours later, the room was pitch dark, both Rise and Naoto curled under the covers. Rise had her thigh thrown across Naoto's waist, clutching him like a body pillow as she slept soundly. Soft snores and deep breathing permeated the air, sounding out with the tick of thin hands as they moved across the face of the large hanging clock. The soft patter of rain tapped against the window panes, a rhythmic drumming. The hands of the clock neared 12 and a high pitched humming interrupted the domestic sounds of the hotel room.

Suddenly, the TV in the corner switched on with a buzz, glowing with black and white static. A figure in dark blue clothes appeared, adjusting his detective's hat to show his boyish face. The image flickered for a couple of seconds before fading to black, enveloping the room in an eerie silence.

* * *

**A/N**: Sorry for the long delay. Kinda choked this one out going through a slump of sorts. Exams and the such this month, so I doubt I'll get anything done until the summer. I really wanna thank all those who are still reading this and a thank you to all the support I've gotten from all my readers. I really don't want to disappoint any of you, so I hope you enjoyed this chapter at least a little! Please forgive me for spelling, grammar, etc. Even though I say I'm busy with exams, it's like I'm getting more chapters uploaded, so it's rather strange...Well, I'm kinda off hiatus now, but nothing's for certain. :O

Thank you very much and please review~!


	12. Chapter 12

**The Idol and the Prince**

* * *

**Part XII**

* * *

09/14

* * *

Back and forth. Back and forth.

Naoto stopped brushing with the complimentary hotel toothbrush, staring aimlessly into the mirror, almost in a daze. The dark circles under his eyes made him look so haggard…so dead. As he continued to stare, he could feel the toothpaste dripping from his mouth, hitting the sink with a small plop.

Suddenly, something in his reflection caught his attention.

"What the-" The toothbrush in his hand was suddenly forgotten and it fell onto the counter with a clatter. The detective leaned in close against the mirror, pulling down the collar of his sweater as he revealed a large red welt on the side of his neck. His eye started twitching at the sight of the huge hickey, rubbing at it desperately with cold water. His cheeks began to redden considerably, realizing what it was. With a mouth full of blue toothpaste, Naoto could feel the panic start to set in.

It was morning and he and Rise had spent the night in a sketchy love hotel. The nightly charges were on his card and the people of Inaba must've noticed that their neighbourhood celebrity was missing. If they opened another investigation and tied witness reports to him, they would be in big trouble. Mainly him, but Rise's reputation was at stake as well.

Spitting the remnants of the toothpaste in the sink, Naoto rinsed out his mouth hastily as he bolted out of the washroom.

"Rise, we've gotta-" Naoto stood stock still in the doorframe of the bathroom, his eyes widening at the sight of Rise's flushed bare skin. The idol had her arms through pullover blouse, raising her hands over her head as Naoto looked on in shock. There was nothing to shield his eyes from her perfectly shaped breasts as Rise still failed to notice his presence at the door.

"Kyaa! N-Naoto-kun!" Her clothes barely half on her, Rise scrambled to cover her bare breasts, turning around as she sank to the floor in embarrassment.

"S-sorry." The detective hastily made his way back into the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. With his back against the door, Naoto struggled to still his racing heart, wondering why Rise's nakedness made such an impact on him this morning rather than last night when she was practically willing to ride him without her clothes on.

A few seconds later, an abrupt knock came at the door and Naoto stood, taking a deep breath before opening it. As soon as the door opened, the boy nearly had the wind knocked out of him as Rise flung herself into his arms. They stood there silently, Rise's hold tightening around him as she buried her face in his sweater.

"Is something wrong, Rise?" Naoto gently ran his hands through the girl's hair, brushing the loose strands aside as he pressed a kiss to her forehead.

After another stagnant pause, Rise's voice broke the silence. "I was just scared that you'd left already…After all, you weren't beside me…and I couldn't hear the faucet running…your clothes were missing too…" Rise's words were muffled into his sweater, but Naoto could hear every word.

"I'm not that kind of person, Rise. I wouldn't do something like that to you." Standing slight apart, Naoto leaned down, cupping Rise's face with a gentle hand, caressing her cheek with his thumb.

"I just…I just feel insecure for some reason. Like I'm still missing part of you, Naoto…"

The detective was taken aback at that statement. He didn't know how to react to it, his mind drawing a blank. For a second, he felt like her words were finally an invitation for him to come clean, but something held him back, telling him that Rise only liked the Shirogane Naoto who was a successful detective, the charming young man he tried to make himself out to be.

Without thinking, Naoto dipped down quickly, capturing Rise's lips almost desperately as he pushed the thoughts out of his mind and distracted Rise from her worries. All he wanted to do was to bask in the moment as he wished that he really was who he claimed to be.

* * *

"Kujikawa."

There was no reply as the teacher called out Rise's name for the third time. He looked up, raising an eyebrow as he scrutinized the two empty seats in the back of the room. "Has anyone seen Kujikawa-san or Shirogane-kun today?"

Snickers erupted around the classroom as the teacher said this, but no one volunteered any information.

Kanji made a sour face as he contemplated the reason why Naoto and Rise were absent. It bothered him to think that they were away. Together. In some shady situation like the one they were caught in the last time. Sighing, the gangster wondered why he thought about Naoto so much. The boy was proud and arrogant, but there was just something childish and innocent about the detective as well. His long lashes, his silky head of blue hair, his beautifully smooth skin… not to mention his slender figure…Naoto would look good in a dress. Kanji's face colored a bright red when he realized that he was just fantasizing about his classmate crossdressing.

The scary part was that he was enjoying it.

"Tatsumi-kun."

"Y-yeah!" Kanji's head whipped over abruptly, trying to mask his embarrassment with anger, but it wasn't working out too well.

If Kanji wasn't such an intimidating figure, the whole class would've been snickering at him quietly, but no one wanted to go home in an ambulance today.

"Please read the next section."

"Uhh…what page are we on?" He looked at his book, feeling confused and hoping that lunch would come faster. Maybe then, he could give Naoto a call or something, pretend that he had stumbled across some kinda breakthrough in the case.

* * *

"Do you think Rise-chan's still the pure young maiden we saw last week?" Chie let her thoughts wander as she looked up at the gathering storm clouds. It really was a nice view and it was a good thing the roof was always so empty. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to use Yukiko's lap as her personal pillow.

"Now, now, Chie… Don't go and speculate random things. They've only been gone for….a day or two. I'm sure Naoto-kun's not the kinda guy to take advantage of a young girl." Yukiko arched her neck back to look up at the clouds as well. With her free hand, she absently ran her fingers through the brunette's short locks, eliciting a small noise of delight from the other girl.

Closing her eyes, Chie's voice drifted as she voiced her thoughts. "It's not really Naoto-kun I don't trust…" She adjusted her head on Yukiko's lap.

"Ohh… I see what you mean. Rise really is a wolf in sheep's clothing now that I think about it." The black haired beauty nodded to herself. "I still remember that black t-back she showed me one time. That girl really does have a nice figure. No wonder she's such a popular model." Yukiko's eyes clouded over as she lost herself in her daydreams.

Sitting up abruptly, Chie's face was flushed with jealousy as she fixed Yukiko with an incredulous look. "Y-You gotta be kidding me! I-I'm toned and physically active! Don't I look good in a bikini too!" The brunette lurched forward, almost yelling as she grabbed her girlfriend by the shoulders.

"C'mon, Chie! I'm just talking about it casually! It's not like I like Rise or anything! Besides, you're the only girl for me…" Yukiko leaned forward, pressing a kiss to Chie's lips as she wrapped her arms around the girl's toned figure.

"I-I get jealous too, though…when you talk about other girls like that." Chie returned the kiss with equal fervour, slipping her tongue in as they engaged in a tight lip lock.

Breaking apart briefly for air, Yukiko shrugged her sweater off as she started unzipping Chie's jersey. "There's really no one other than you who can get me so worked up…"

Chie's cheeks became even more flushed as she inched over, swinging her legs over Yukiko's sitting on her lap as she straddled her effectively. "You always know what to say to make the problems go away…"

Unbeknownst to the two hormonal teenagers, the door to the roof creaked open and they were graced with someone's presence.

"Ahnn…Yukiko…" Chie let out a breathy moan as Yukiko let her hands drop lower. The girl's intentions were anything but pure and the brunette could feel a pair of hands underneath her skirt, groping her backside through her thin bike shorts.

"And what I like best about you, Chie…is your firm…tight…"

"W-WAIT!"

The two girls jumped as a voice interrupted their lunchtime tryst. They hastily readjusted their off shoulder shirts, their unzipped skirts and their dishevelled hair.

The young man stared at the two girls, his face red with shame and embarrassment. All he wanted to do was call his little detective friend, to see if he and Rise really were _involved_.

"Gaaah! Damn it! Not again…K-Kanji-kun…? I-It's not…what you think it is!" Chie waved her hands around frantically as she stood up, her face burning up like a hot stove. "M-M-Me and Yukiko…w-we're just…really close! Sexual tension, you know?" Laughing nervously, Chie seemed to be losing her cool. Her left eye was twitching and her teeth were clenched tightly.

Yukiko, on the other hand, seemed rather dejected and frustrated, redressing herself quietly behind Chie.

"S-S-Sempai…I-I'm so sorry. I really didn't…mean…to…interrupt…" The gangster turned his head to the side, biting his lip as he wracked his mind for the appropriate words.

For a moment, Chie paused, taken aback by the boy's honest reaction. He wasn't like Yousuke. The brunette was sure that if Yousuke had been the one to walk in, he wouldn't have stopped them…

"Ne, Tatsumi-kun…" This time, Yukiko spoke up, her demeanour completely placid and business-like. "I would appreciate it if you kept what you saw a secret from everyone else." The girl placed a finger to her lips, gesturing to keep things under wraps as she winked.

Chie was dazed by the sight of Yukiko being so professional in a situation like this. She swooned, nearly forgetting where she was as she fixed her eyes on the beauty.

"I-I will! I promise!" Kanji bowed, his head nearly touching his knees as he swore upon his yankee honor.

Blinking, Chie regained her senses, reverting back to her original self. "Y-You'd better! If I find out that you leaked this to anyone, I'll…I'll b-break you like Yousuke broke my kung-fu DVD!" The girl was still flustered, her threat devoid of any actual…threat.

"I-I swear I will, Sempai! S-since…since I-I'm…I'm like that too!" Kanji's pale skin was as red as ever as he made this life changing statement.

"L-like…that? You mean…?" The two girls looked rather confused as stared wide eyed at the young man who towered above them. The manly and most feared gangster in Inaba was…

"T-t-to be honest! I l-l-l-like Shirogane!" Kanji's voice was almost an octave higher as he made his confession.

After that, there was an awkward silence as Chie and Yukiko shared an equally disturbed eyebrow raise.

"Uh…Sempai?" Kanji was puzzled by the silence, scratching his head in confusion, wondering if the shock was too much.

"Oh umm, well…We expected as much?" Chie shrugged her shoulders, staring blankly at Kanji.

"W-what….?" Again, the gangster was confused.

Yukiko had a contemplative look on as she pouted slightly. "There were clues…like the sewing…the cooking…the Naoto stalking." Chie nodded in accordance and the two smiled knowingly.

"W-well…I-I'm…not being too obvious about it, am I? After all, I think Naoto's pretty girly himself, isn't he?" Kanji smiled sheepishly as he posed his question, looking down with embarrassment.

"Naoto…isn't as girly as you think. I mean…sure he's got really long lashes and a slender figure, but..." Chie trailed off, looking to the side. She wasn't sure if she wanted to break it to the guy that Naoto was probably three times around the bases already with Rise.

"What Chie means to say is that…Rise's your competition. And I think she's gained more headway than you have, Tatsumi-kun." Yukiko said it rather matter-of-factly, offering her condolences through a consolatory smile. However, after realizing how she had worded it, she couldn't help but chuckle to herself. "Pfft…headway…"

Chie stared at Yukiko with wide eyes as her jaw dropped. "Yukiko! I-It's so not like you to make such a bad dirty joke…"

Giggling, the black haired beauty leaned in towards her girlfriend, whispering something with a devilish grin on her lips. Chie's expression changed rather drastically and the girl bit her lip, her cheeks reddening at the images that filled her head.

Kanji's expression was unchanging as he stared straight at Yukiko. All the color drained from his face and he seemed to be in shock. "Amagi-sempai…" Suddenly, Kanji started to teeter uncertainly, his eyes rolling back in his head as his pupils disappeared.

"Kanji!"

"Tatsumi-kun!"

He fell to the ground with a thud.

At his side, his two upperclassmen stared with wide open mouths.

"S-Should we get the school nurse, Yukiko?"

"I…think that would be a good idea…"

* * *

"Ne, Naoto-kun…" Rise tugged on the boy's sleeve as they rode the empty train back to Inaba. There was never anyone who rode the train to the end of the line and the two lovers were the only ones in the compartment.

"Yes, Rise?" Naoto's eyes were starting to glaze over. He was rather tired today and he yawned, covering his mouth with the back of his hand.

"What do you think of Yukiko-sempai and Chie-sempai?" Rise leaned on Naoto, resting her head on the boy's shoulder. She threaded her fingers through his and she relaxed, holding his hand loosely. The idol herself was getting quite tired as well. The idol wanted to strike up some idol chatter and her two sempai were a strange case she didn't get to discuss with anyone.

"Hm? I think they seem like good people? I personally haven't spoken to either of them very much, but I think they have rather good intentions." Naoto thought back to the time Yukiko asked him to join their group of friends at the club. Regardless of whether she meant it or not at the time, it made him feel…welcome. She really was a nice girl.

Naoto could feel Rise shaking her head against his shoulder. "That's not what I mean, Naoto-kun." Rise smiled to herself. She wasn't one for gossiping, but she really wondered what her ace detective could deduce from the two girls' suspicious actions.

"Oh…umm then what did you mean by that, Rise?" Naoto was slightly puzzled, wondering if he had walked into a trap of some sorts by answering incorrectly.

"Would you believe me if I told you that they were completely and totally 'involved' with each other…?" Rise waited for the reaction.

"By involved, do you mean romantically…?" Naoto's mind once again flashed back to the night at the club. He did remember the intensity at which Yukiko ravaged Chie's mouth and the many places that her hands were not supposed to be. It was rather graphic for his eyes, but he didn't think much of that since Yukiko was such a lightweight with the alcohol.

"I walked in on them once. It made me blush pretty hard, you know?" Rise grinned from ear to ear, checking to see if Naoto's ears were as red as she anticipated them to be. Yukiko and Chie were pretty hot and no normal guy would hate to see those two acting like they did.

However, to Rise's surprise, Naoto's expression was a mix of emotions. There was confusion and sadness and his blue eyes flashed with anger for a split second. There was a slight moment of awkward silence before Naoto looked over with a stiff smile.

"Oh, I didn't know that." He replied.

Naoto was obviously uncomfortable with the subject, his body tensing up, but he couldn't help but push a little further. After a slight pause, he continued on. "What do you think of their relationship, Rise?"

A little fazed from Naoto's reaction, Rise was rather startled. "Umm…well, I think they're a pretty cute couple? It's rather interesting to see how their personalities go so well with each other."

"I see…and do you think that what they're doing is…right?" Naoto's voice wavered for a minute as he looked at Rise with utmost seriousness.

"I really didn't flag you to be so…old-fashioned, Naoto-kun…" Rise was taken aback by his comment, wondering if that was what brought his mood so down.

"You didn't answer the question, Rise." Naoto's tone bordered on hostile, his eyes narrowing slightly.

"There's nothing wrong with what they have, Naoto." Rise flashed the boy a nasty glare, disapproving of his naivety. She thought he was better than this. "You don't have to be afraid of what they are. It's not like I'll become one of them just because they're my friends."

At that, Naoto's expression grew even darker. His eyes were unreadable as he looked out the window of the speeding train. He tried to concentrate on the flickering scenery that flashed by, hoping that it would distract him from his thoughts.

An hour later, the deserted train arrived at Inaba station. As the doors of the train slid open, two teens walked out in silence. Rise trailed behind Naoto, wondering what she should say to get Naoto back in good spirits. She didn't mean to bring up such a topic and she didn't mean to be so antagonistic with her choice of words. It was his fault anyway, since he was the one acting so weird.

As Naoto continued across the platform, he suddenly stopped and Rise stopped a couple of steps behind him. He turned as he took a deep breath. There was conflict in his eyes as the detective looked for the right words.

"I'm sorry." Naoto averted Rise's eyes as he apologized, feeling guilty for being so childish. He nearly contemplated telling her the truth, but he knew that despite how she defended her friends, it would be a different story altogether if she was in such a situation herself. He knew that she wouldn't take it very well. Call it his detective's intuition, but he had a bad feeling about telling Rise. Every time he thought about it, he felt nauseous.

"I-It's okay, Naoto-kun." Rise blinked, shocked that the boy was the first one to apologize, but she was honestly relieved that the tension had lifted.

"I was immature. It's not like I have something against…those kinds of relationships…it just…hit a sore spot of sorts. I'm sorry for acting that way." Naoto looked around shiftily, glad that Inaba's train station was always so dead. He didn't dare look into Rise eyes, afraid that the emotions that were going through his head would show in his conflicted gaze.

"Again, it's okay, Naoto-kun. I forgive you. Let's just go home, okay? I don't want to be reported as missing again." Rise laughed to herself as she grabbed Naoto's hand, tugging him along. She tried to push the boy's words to the back of her head, but she still wondered what kind of sore spot she had hit.

Naoto laughed too at the idol's words and he squeezed her hand reassuringly as they strolled off back into town.

* * *

"Oh god, oh god! F-Faster, Naoto-kun! Faster!" Rise clenched her fists as she closed her eyes. She could feel the adrenaline pumping through her veins, her heart working itself hard. They had been at it for hours now. When they got back to her house, it was still light out, but now, it was well into the night. She had never felt such raw and unadultered

Fear.

"Oh my GOD! Why is that door locked! Run!" The idol cowered behind Naoto at the foot of her bed as she couldn't bear to watch the tv screen anymore. She shook his shoulders violently as she peeked out behind him occasionally.

Even with his redheaded distraction, Naoto manoeuvred the controller with unparalleled skill. The screen was a dark cityscape with horrid monsters chasing the player in a first person POV. The detective`s thumbs were a blur as he hit the buttons spastically, his eyes starting to twitch as he forwent the act of blinking to keep his focus. If only he could get to the abandoned car with the sawed off shotgun, he'd be safe, but for now, he had to avoid the horde of zombies that were gaining on him. However, his hand pistol was running low on ammo and his health bar was below 50%.

He only had four shots left.

"Kyaaaaah! Naoto, watch out!"

Naoto gasped as he felt Rise`s lips graze his neck. The idol tackled him head on, her arms wrapping around his waist as she threw her weight against him.

"R-Rise!"

The detective dropped the controller reflexively as he lost his balance, tumbling to the floor with Rise sprawled on top of him. With Rise's body flush against his, he forgot the game momentarily as he laid there on the floor, his heart beating rapidly from the high intensity of the game and the warmth of the girl on top of him. He swallowed hard, not even paying attention to the screams coming from the TV as he heard exaggerated the blood splatter and crunching of human bones between the teeth of hungry zombies.

"That was so scary, Naoto-kun!" Letting go of the detective, Rise sat up, straddling the boy rather casually as she voiced her concerns.

Shaking his head, Naoto smiled. "If it was that scary, why did you buy the game in the first place? Zombies are make believe just so you know." The boy had a smug look on his face as he laid there at Rise's mercy. She had him pinned down and it didn't seem like she was going to get off him any time soon.

"I didn't know it was going to be so realistic! It had good reviews too…and you were so good at it! I was so surprised, Naoto-kun." Rise grinned widely, cocking her head slightly to the side.

"The controls were pretty straightforward but I think I got far too caught up into the gameplay…And I think I could've cleared that last stage if you didn't tackle me, you know?" Naoto sighed. He was so close, but in a way, he was glad Rise stopped him. He wondered if they should have spent the last four hours trying to clear one of Rise's newly unopened games.

"You looked like you were having fun, but I was getting kinda creeped out by the zombies. I was so scared, you know? It was like a horror movie! Next time we play, we should play two player! And you'll have to protect me, okay?" Rise was completely serious as she flashed Naoto a radiant smile. She seemed excited for their next gaming date.

"Okay, okay. It's a promise then. Now, could you get off me? I know I must be comfortable as a chair, but…" Naoto sighed again, trying to sit up.

"No. I'll never let you go, Naoto-kun…You should just sleep over tonight." Rise leaned down, closing her eyes as she pressed a kiss to the boy's lips. She gathered fistfuls of his shirt in her hands as she ravaged the detective. Naoto's hands twitched as they hesitated a moment before coming to rest on Rise's slim waist. His head was lost as he kissed Rise back with equal fervour. Her lips were as soft and supple as always and for a moment, he forgot that they both had school early tomorrow morning.

As the kissing progressed, Naoto's jacket was suddenly discarded, his tie undone and his hair dishevelled. Warning signs were going off in his head, but he just didn't want to stop. His hormones were raging today and it was particularly hard to keep his hands off the voluptuous girl.

Before long, he found his own hands fumbling with Rise's button up blouse. Parting for a moment, Naoto's conscience caught up to him. Panting, Naoto slowly got up, easing away from Rise as he ran a hand through his hair. His head was spinning and his heartbeat was racing off the charts. It was too easy to get caught up in Rise and he nearly uncovered his secret again. He walked towards the door, not wanting to look Rise in the eyes at that moment.

Still on the floor, Rise sat up, adjusting her top, buttoning up a couple of open buttons. "S-sorry, Naoto-kun. You just looked so kissable right there…and I couldn't help myself…" Coming up behind the detective, Rise snaked her arms around Naoto, burying her face in the back of his shirt.

Naoto leaned back into Rise's embrace, clutching her hands with his own as he caressed them gently. "It's okay, Rise. I-I…I really lost myself too just then."

"Will I see you tomorrow, Naoto-kun?" Rise closed her eyes as she breathed in Naoto's scent.

"Of course you will, Rise. I'll see you tomorrow at school, okay? It's getting late though…I'll have to get going soon." The boy's tone softened as he said this. He knew it was naïve, but right then and there, he felt like he and Rise were made for each other.

Still unwilling to let go, Rise opened her eyes, peering at a digital clock on her desk. The red digits showed 11:09. It was rather late and they did have class tomorrow. "Okay…I'll let you go for now, kay?"

The two parted from their embrace and with one last good night kiss, Rise showed Naoto to the door. When the girl opened the door, a slightly cool breeze blew in and she could feel faint rain droplets on her skin. "Oh no! It's raining too now." She looked out into the street, the roads slick with rain and the streetlights reflecting off the puddles of water on the asphalt.

"That's okay. I can manage a little bit of rain." Naoto smiled, stepping out the door.

"You should just stay here tonight!" Rise grabbed Naoto's hand, holding him back as she pleaded with him.

Feeling his heart skip a beat at Rise's puppy dog eyes, Naoto had a hard time telling the girl no. "I'm sorry, Rise, but you know that I can't stay here tonight. I…just can't." He offered her a sad smile.

"I-I know! T-then just take an umbrella at least!" Rise grabbed an umbrella from the stand near the door and thrust it into the detective's hands.

"Thanks, Rise. I'll see you tomorrow. Good night." Naoto gave the girl a quick peck on the cheek before stepping outside.

"Good night." Rise's words trailed off as she watched Naoto disappear into the shadows of the night, only the bright red of his umbrella still visible in the distance. When the red was out of sight, Rise closed the door, feeling a smile tug at her lips. Light hearted and exhausted from a day of skipping classes, Rise pranced upstairs and flung herself on her bed. She closed her eyes and let herself drift off, but it wasn't for long.

It seemed like seconds after when Rise heard her phone ringing. However, her clock told her otherwise. It was 12:05, five minutes past midnight. She had spent nearly an hour dozing off before someone rudely interrupted her slumber. Rubbing her eyes, Rise flipped open her phone, a groggy hello escaping her lips.

"_Rise, it's Naoto. Naoto's the next victim."_

Still trying to recover from her sleep laden state, Rise was struggling to process the words in her mind. "Yousuke, what are you talking about?" Rise was confused. She had just seen Naoto that same night. There was no way…

Suddenly, Rise could feel the full brunt of the panic hit her as she realized the signs. She hadn't watched midnight channel. It was raining tonight. Hanging up without another word, Rise dialled Naoto's number, waiting anxiously as she held her breath. "Please…please…Please pick up…"

'_Click'_

The line connected and-

"Naoto-kun! I-" Rise stopped cold, her eyes widening.

"_The number you have dialled cannot be reached. This number is either out of service or-"_

Feeling a sense of dread fill her, Rise dropped her phone and rushed out of her room. She nearly tripped down the stairs, but she hastily regained her balance. Slipping on her shoes, she threw the front door open and ran outside, ignoring the rain that was falling all around her.

Rise just ran and ran. She was headed towards Naoto's house. She had never been there, but she knew where the ridiculously large mansion was. Running down the streets, her clothes were completely soaked, but the girl could care less. She only had one thing in mind until something caught her eye. Her pace slowed and she could feel the suffocating apprehension rise in her chest.

It was getting harder to breathe. The blood was pounding loudly in her ears.

In the middle of the road ahead, Rise saw a red umbrella lying open on its side.

Approaching the umbrella slowly, Rise felt her world collapse as she spotted Naoto's detective hat lying in a puddle next to the forgotten umbrella.

* * *

**A/N:** Hi there. Sorry for the hiatus. It's been almost a year. Lol. I'm so bad at writing multi chp fics. I should finish all these up before I gradute. It's like 2am. And I have some things to do early tomorrow. I hope this isn't total crap since it's had like bs plot development and very little editing. Maybe I'll come back later to fix it.

Filler, filler, filler.

I hope it's acceptable!

Please review!


	13. Chapter 13

**The Idol and the Prince**

* * *

**Part XIII**

* * *

09/17

* * *

"Hey…are you sure Rise-chan's alright…? She hasn't said a word all day. She usually says the customary 'good morning ' or 'hello' or…'Leave me alone. I'm fine'…but I guess this week has been tough on her…" Yukiko leaned over as she whispered to the others sitting around her.

The group of teens glanced over at the solemn redhead who was eating her bento rather silently with a serious yet empty expression on her face. She was sitting by herself a few metres away from her friends, seemingly absorbed in her thoughts.

"I guess this is her way of coping, right? I mean…I half expected her to break down in tears, but…maybe Rise's less of a drama queen than we th-augh!" Yousuke added this comment, forgetting to whisper as he earned himself a rough jab in the ribs from Chie. "What the hell was that for!" The insensitive boy looked over at his fellow brunette, glaring.

Completely ignoring Yousuke, Chie turned to Yukiko, Kanji and Souji. She slammed her fist into her palm in a determined fashion, her eyes burning with her usual fighting spirit. "Okay! Today. After school. We're going to find Naoto's dungeon! We're going to save that stuck up little detective!" The girl nearly shouted, her voice resounding across the empty rooftop.

"Chie!" Yukiko cupped a hand over the brunette's mouth, almost knocking her to the ground with the sudden motion.

The entire group chanced a glance over at Rise. Even a deaf person could've heard Chie call Naoto a stuck up little detective.

"Naoto-kun's not that stuck up…"

The words came from Rise's mouth, barely above a whisper. She abruptly dropped her chopsticks and her lunch was forgotten. The idol stared off into the distance, her eyes clouding over.

"Maybe he's just a little bit…stuck up." She seemed to be saying the words to no one in particular, just reassuring herself of something.

Five pairs of eyes were fixed on Rise. Her behaviour was abnormal enough, much like the time right when she disappeared a couple months ago. Now, she was rather scary, a shell of the cheery Rise they were all used to. Chie and Yukiko whispered to each other as Yousuke sighed. There was no telling what was going through Rise's head. Kanji nervously darted his gaze over to the railing surrounding the ledge. He knew that Rise was a dramatic person and on TV they always did crazy things. The gangster himself was rather upset about Naoto's disappearance, but he knew he couldn't match Rise's feelings at that moment. He sighed, wishing for an instant that he had the right to be so concerned with the boy.

Without another word, Rise closed her bento box and calmly put everything away. She stood for a minute, her eyes still glazed over as she stared absently ahead of her.

"I…"

A thick tension suddenly blanketed the area and everyone was holding their breath. Yousuke had a mix of emotions on his face. Yukiko had a fistful of Chie's jersey in her hands. Chie was nervously biting her lip. Kanji's gaze drifted back over to the ledge, ready to jump up and tackle Rise if she did anything rash. And Souji…was still eating his lunch, his grey eyes betraying none of his emotions.

'CRACK'

Rise's bento box hit the concrete floor with a loud splintering sound. The cover must've cracked, but the redhead didn't care. In a heartbeat, she crossed the distance between her and the roof stairwell, forgetting her lunch box and her friends as she sprinted down the stairs.

It was well into last period before anyone saw Rise again…

"Kanji-kun!"

The door to the first year's classroom slid open with a bang and everyone stared at the frantic girl standing at the entrance. Holding a dusty bat, Kujikawa Rise stood at the door, her chest rising and falling quickly as she struggled to catch her breath. The whole room was quiet and the teacher standing at the board dropped his chalk, breaking the silence. After a couple of seconds, the redhead stormed across the classroom, walking over to Tatsumi Kanji, who was sitting at his seat with shock written all over his face.

"You're coming with me."

Without another word, Rise made her way back out of the classroom as if nothing had happened. Stares followed her out the door. Suddenly, the screech of Kanji's chair broke the awkwardness. He got up cautiously, feeling the stares of his classmates and the teacher on him. His face was turning red rather quickly and he excused himself, running after Rise.

In the empty hallways, Kanji struggled to catch up to the idol, who was walking like a crazed woman. She was already halfway up the stairs, clutching her bat menacingly.

"R-Rise! Where are we going?" Kanji was all good with skipping, but the Rise he saw right now wasn't someone he wanted to follow to the ends of the earth.

"We're going to save Naoto-kun right now." Rise said matter-of-factly as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. She continued to mount the stairs two at a time, a wide smile stretching across her lips.

The two first years got to the second floor and Kanji paled. "Oh no…Rise…I hope you're not…planning to-okay…you are." Kanji froze in his spot as Rise made her way to Souji-sempai's classroom. He turned around, pretending to read some bulletin in the hall as he kept one eye on Rise.

Sliding the back door open just a tad, Rise peered into the classroom. After analyzing the situation, the redhead decided that it was all clear. Self-study period. No big deal. The teacher wasn't even in the room. She opened the door more and stuck her head in the classroom. "Excuse me! Is Souji-sempai here?"

Chie turned at the idol's voice and spotting Rise by the door, she rushed over. "Rise-chan! I'm so happy to see you! I'm so glad that you-" Chie stopped, her eyes drawn to the bat clutched tightly in Rise's hands. "I was going to say that I was so glad that you decided not to do anything…weird." The brunette shook her head as she sighed.

"Just so you know, I figured out where Naoto-kun is. I dropped by the shopping district to pick up a couple of things and I ran into a cop. I didn't do anything weird…I just got the last clue." Rolling her eyes, Rise scoffed.

"Yo! Rise! You were really out of it at lunchtime. Better now?" Yousuke waved as he made his way over, followed by Yukiko and Souji behind him.

"Now that we're all here, we should get going!" Rise turned, cradling her baseball bat as she exited the classroom.

"You want us to skip school?" Yousuke raised an eyebrow, looking at Rise.

"Not like you guys are doing anything anyway. You and Souji-sempai were daydreaming and Yukiko and Chie were being all lov-" Rise caught herself before she said anymore. She could feel the stares from Yukiko and Chie's direction. She cleared her throat briefly. "L-let's just go. Naoto-kun's chances aren't getting any better if we waste time like this."

With that, Rise became the newly self-appointed leader and led her merry brigade to Junes' electronics department.

* * *

"Rise! You can't be serious! Think about this more clearly!" Chie yelled as she fought with the struggling Rise in her grasp.

"Chie's right! This is your life, Rise-chan! Don't be so crazy! We can handle this! Just stay outside and support us from there!" Yukiko's face was turning red as she fought to restrain the redhead on the other side of the girl.

"No! NO! I can't! I have to go! You don't understand what it feels like to just sit here and feel useless! Let me go! I WANT TO SAVE NAOTO-KUN! I'M THE ONE WHO KNOWS WHERE HE IS AFTER ALL." Rise flailed in the arms of the two girls, her baseball bat on the floor. She struggled with all her might, screaming and begging to be a part of the action.

Yousuke chuckled as he stood off to the side with Souji and Kanji, watching the sight before him.

"Rise! You CAN'T tag along this time! You're way too underleveled and those monsters'll eat you alive! We won't be able to protect you all the time!" Chie had had enough of Rise's antics and the brunette hooked an arm around the redhead's neck, putting the girl in a headlock. Yukiko quickly backed off, leaving the rest to her capable partner.

"C-Chie-sempai! S-Stop that! I'm not that underleveled! I'm only a couple levels lower than the rest of you guys! I'll be fine with my bat-Ahhh!" Rise tried everything to get out of Chie's monster hold, pulling hard on the girl's short hair.

Wincing, Chie tightened her hold. "I'm. Doing. This. For your own good!"

"I HAVE to go with you guys!" Rise's face was completely red now as she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Yukiko made her way over to the sidelines, sitting with Yousuke, Souji and Kanji, shaking her head. "Those two are getting to be too much for me…Rise's pretty stubborn and she really knocked the wind out of me earlier…" The slender girl winced as she lay a hand on her bruised ribs rather gingerly.

"I didn't know Rise was so strong…" Kanji pondered aloud to himself as he watched the blows that the redhead landed on the sporty brunette.

"Wow…I should really watch what I say around her…" Yousuke commented as he continued watching the fight between the two girls. Rise was on the floor now, Chie pinning the girl down with a vicious arm twisting and a knee to the back. "Both of them are actually pretty vicious."

"You're hurting me, Chie!" Rise could feel the grains of sand dig into the skin as Chie pressed her face harder against the dirt ground.

"Just give up already! I'm not going to let you be all reckless in Naoto's dungeon! Your persona doesn't even have any attack skills! What are you gonna do? Analyze them to death?" Chie didn't let up on her hold, determined to stop the redhead from throwing herself into harm's way.

The Mayonaka TV main 'foyer' was filled with the sounds of the two girls and their fighting when Teddy bounded out of nowhere, doing cartwheels across the ground over to the spectator's corner. "Hey! What kinda party are you guys throwing? It's so lively over here!"

"Uh…we're kinda waiting for Rise and Chie to sort out their problems before we can go and save that Shirogane Naoto guy." Yousuke said off-handedly as he adjusted the headphones around his neck.

"Ohhhhh! That sounds like fun. Can I come with you guys?" Teddy completely ignored the cat fight behind him as he jumped at the opportunity to join in on the fun.

"Uh sure. After we decide whether Rise can come with us or not." Yousuke directed his attention back to the girls, wondering when Rise got the upper hand. Chie was pinned under the idol as the girl straddled the brunette rather roughly. His attention was piqued.

"Why can't Rise-chan come with us?" Teddy asked innocently as he turned around to watch the fight along with the others. Kanji was too busy wincing at every punch, slap and choke. Yukiko was too busy biting her lip to hold in her emotions. And Yousuke was too busy appreciating the great opportunity he was given today to be able to witness those two going at it.

"Get off me, Rise! Don't make me hurt you!" Chie flailed under Rise's weight, her arms pinned down at her side. There was a cut on her cheek, blood trickling down her face to the ground.

"No way! I bet you're just angry 'cause it's not Yukiko-sempai straddling you, huh? I'm not gonna get off until you let me come with you!" Rise grinned devilishly as she applied more weight to Chie's legs and abdomen.

"Y-You s-shut up!" Chie's face was red not only from the physical exertion, but the embarrassment that filled her.

"Oh wow. She didn't deny it, did she…" Kanji looked on in awe as he snuck a glance at Yukiko, who was watching the altercation with a rather glazed look in her eyes. The usually calm and demure girl seemed to be highly agitated. He could tell she was insanely jealous at the moment. If he didn't know better, it seemed like Yukiko had been taken over by some kind of monster. The feral expression on her face was intense to say the least.

"Yousuke-chi! Why can't Rise-chan come with us?" Teddy shook Yousuke hard, bringing him back to the question at hand.

"Oh uh…well, Rise skipped too many dungeon excursions earlier, so she's kinda underleveled. If only she wasn't so busy with Naoto… " Yousuke scoffed, jealousy prickling at him since he wasn't the one getting the attention from the superstar.

Teddie seemed confused. "That's it?"

"Yeah. That's pretty much it." Yousuke's eyes were still glued onto Rise and Chie's scuffle. Rise was winning now. Their clothes were starting to tear. A lecherous smile spread across his face. Not like he was interested…but torn clothes were always a bonus.

"STOP!"

Releasing Chie from her reverse chokehold, Rise fell back, breathing heavily. Sweat rolled down her face, the red marks around her neck starting to darken into bruises. Chie, with the pressure off her airway, coughed as the oxygen rushed back into her lungs. She was doubled over on the ground, trying to breathe again.

"What are you two thinking!" Yukiko had her hands poised on her hips, her foot tapping in impatience.

The two girls looked up at the booming voice that had stopped the both of them. Yukiko's pink lips were drawn in a thin line, her eyebrows furrowed in anger. It was the first time anyone had seen the usually reserved girl so livid with anger.

"We're supposed to be fighting _together_ to save Naoto-kun! Not fighting each other! Don't be such children!" Yukiko shook her head, ashamed of their actions. "Even Yousuke's behaving today!"

Averting Yukiko's gaze guiltily, Chie and Rise felt ridiculous for acting so juvenile. They both muttered apologies to each other, dusting off their clothes as they helped one another up.

"Truce?" Chie outstretched her hand.

"Truce." Rise gladly shook it, looking away sheepishly.

"Okay. Now that we've resolved that, we should get the two of you fixed up before we go in to save Naoto…" Yukiko frowned as she spotted Chie's fat lip, Rise's painful looking bruises and the two girls' ripped clothes.

"So…I can come with you guys today?" Rise looked up with an incredulous look on her face, her uniform askew and hanging off her right shoulder. She winced as she coughed, her entire body radiated with pain.

Yukiko sighed. "Yes, yes. On one condition." The girl smiled softly. "Just remember that we're a team, okay? We're all friends and we want to work together to fix up this whole mess, right?"

Rise had tears brimming in her eyes as she nodded.

Turning to Chie, Yukiko summoned her persona, laying her hand gently against the cut on the other girl's cheek, her magic flowing into the brunette effortlessly. "You're lucky I'm here to fix you up. Just…don't get beat up when I'm not there, okay?"

"W-what are you saying, Yukiko! I didn't get beat up! I-" Chie was effectively silenced when Yukiko suddenly drew her in for a kiss. The brunette could feel the tingling in her as Yukiko's magic surged through her lips.

Sighing, Rise turned away, making sure Yousuke was still too busy blabbing away to notice the two engaged in a private moment. Just to be safe, she adjusted her position, so she could maybe block they boys' view of Chie and Yukiko's make-out fest.

As the two parted, the black haired girl chuckled to herself. "I don't care what you think, Chie, but if I hadn't stopped your fight, I'm sure Rise would've had you at her mercy." Yukiko smiled knowingly as she finished patching up the girl's injuries.

Chie blushed wordlessly. Her silence said it all.

* * *

"W-Wow…the inside is even crazier…" Rise held onto her wooden baseball bat for dear life, feeling the shivers run down her spine at the sight of the fluorescent lights that flickered all around her. "Reminds me of those old tv shows with the top secret bases." The girl wandered down the dark hallway, leaving her teammates behind as they mulled around the entrance, looking around.

"Huh? Where's Rise?" Yousuke looked around, wondering where his favourite idol went, surprised that he'd taken his eyes off her for even a second. He finally spotted her down the path, disappearing into the corridor. "Hey! Rise! Come back! Don't go off on your own!"

Yousuke went running after the girl and the rest of the team followed closely behind.

"Wow…this lab is really detailed…" The idol was too busy admiring the décor in the secret laboratory to notice Yousuke calling after her…much less the shadow that was quickly approaching her.

"Rise! Behind you!" Yukiko yelled at the top of her lungs to get Rise's attention as a Furious Gigas came up behind her at a terrifying speed.

The redhead whipped around, hair dishevelled; weapon in hand as she screamed at the top of her lungs. "Kyaaaaaaaah!"

She closed her eyes and drew her arm back in a batting motion. As the looming Gigas lunged at her, Rise let her bat go, nailing the monster right in the side of the head. Her wooden bat splintered on contact, sending half of her weapon flying into the wall. The Gigas, on the other hand, crumpled to the ground, disappearing in a puff of black smoke.

Breathing heavily, Rise threw the remnants of her bat away, collapsing on the floor as she slumped against the wall.

"Wow, Rise-chan! You're really good at this!" Teddy jumped up and down in excitement as he rushed over to Rise, the threat taken care of.

Standing, Rise brushed herself off as she smiled sheepishly. "Tehe…I've never really done this before, but it really is a good way to get rid of stress!" However, glancing at the pile of splinters that used to be her bay, Rise sighed. "But now…I don't have a weapon anymore…"

Dejected, the redhead trudged along until someone tapped her gently on the shoulder.

Turning around, Rise was surprised to see Souji. "Souji-sempai, what's wrong?"

"Here." The stoic boy held something out in his hand, giving it to Rise.

"For me! Thank you so much, sempai!" The redhead beamed as she gladly accepted her new weapon. It was a wooden bat with rusty nails sticking out every which way. Facing the corridor ahead, Rise marched on with fierce determination in her eyes. "I'm coming to save you, Naoto! Please be safe until then!" With that, she took off running.

"Agh! Rise! Wait up!" Yousuke chased after the girl, the rest of the team lagging behind as they let out a collective sigh, knowing that Yousuke's intentions were not entirely in the right place.

* * *

**A/N:** Ahahaha. I come back from my hiatus just to give you all pointless filler. Getting back to the plot soon. The anime inspired me to get off my as and finish this :P


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